Standard Lemma guide

drainage

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈdɹeɪnəd͡ʒ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D R EY1 N AH0 JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: D R EY1 N IH0 JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A natural or artificial means for the removal of fluids from a given area by its draining away.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A system of drains.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A downward wind.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

emptying something accomplished by allowing liquid to run out of it

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: drain

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: emptying, voidance, evacuation

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dher-der. Proto-Indo-European *dhrewgh-der. Proto-Germanic *draugiz Proto-Germanic *drauhnōną Proto-West Germanic *drauhnōn Old English drēahnian Middle English *dreinen English drain Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh2tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin -āticum Old French -agebor. Middle English -age English -age English drainage From drain + -age.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَصْرِيف (taṣrīf) — removal of fluid
  • Bulgarian: дренаж (drenaž) — removal of fluid
  • Catalan: drenatge — removal of fluid
  • Chinese Mandarin: 排水 (páishuǐ) — removal of fluid
  • Czech: odvodnění — removal of fluid
  • Czech: drenáž — removal of fluid
  • Danish: dræning — removal of fluid
  • Danish: afvanding — removal of fluid
  • Dutch: drainage — removal of fluid
  • Dutch: afwatering — removal of fluid
  • Finnish: salaojaverkko — removal of fluid
  • French: drainage — removal of fluid
  • Galician: denaxe — removal of fluid
  • German: Entwässerung — removal of fluid
  • German: Drainage — removal of fluid
  • Hebrew: נִקּוּז (nikuz) — removal of fluid
  • Hungarian: lecsapolás — removal of fluid
  • Indonesian: drainase — removal of fluid
  • Italian: drenaggio — removal of fluid
  • Maltese: dranaġġ — removal of fluid
  • Norwegian Bokmål: drenering — removal of fluid
  • Polish: drenaż — removal of fluid
  • Portuguese: drenagem — removal of fluid
  • Romanian: drenaj — removal of fluid
  • Romanian: drenare — removal of fluid
  • Russian: дрена́ж (drenáž) — removal of fluid
  • Spanish: drenaje — removal of fluid
  • Spanish: desagüe — removal of fluid
  • Tagalog: sakati — removal of fluid
  • Turkish: drenaj — removal of fluid
  • Vietnamese: hệ thống thoát nước — removal of fluid
Real reading context

drainage in complete knowledge articles