英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

railroad (n.)[railroad 词源字典]: 1757, from rail (n.1) + road. Originally "road laid with rails for heavy wagons (in mining)." The process itself (but not the word) seems to have been in use by late 17c. Application to passenger and freight trains dates from 1825, though tending to be replaced in this sense in England by railway.[railroad etymology, railroad origin, 英语词源]
railroad (v.): "to convict quickly and perhaps unjustly," 1873, American English, from railroad (n.).
A person knowing more than might be desirable of the affairs, or perhaps the previous life of some powerful individual, high in authority, might some day ventilate his knowledge, possibly before a court of justice; but if his wisdom is railroaded to State's prison, his evidence becomes harmless. ["Wanderings of a Vagabond," New York, 1873]
Related: Railroaded; railroading. An earlier verb sense was "to have a mania for building railroads" (1847).
railroading (n.): 1842, "travel by rail," from railroad (n.). As "business of running railways" from 1882.
railway (n.): 1812 in modern sense, from rail (n.1) + way (n.). Earlier used of any sort of road on which rails (originally wooden) were laid for easier transport (1776).
raiment (n.): c. 1400, "clothing, vesture" (archaic), shortening of arayment "clothing" (late 14c.), from Anglo-French araiement, from Old French areement, from areer "to array" (see array (v.)).
rain (n.): Old English regn "rain," from Proto-Germanic *regna- (cognates: Old Saxon regan, Old Frisian rein, Middle Dutch reghen, Dutch regen, German regen, Old Norse regn, Gothic rign "rain"), with no certain cognates outside Germanic, unless it is from a presumed PIE *reg- "moist, wet," which may be the source of Latin rigare "to wet, moisten" (see irrigate). Rain dance is from 1867; rain date in listings for outdoor events is from 1948. To know enough to come in out of the rain (usually with a negative) is from 1590s. Rainshower is Old English renscur.
rain (v.): Old English regnian, usually contracted to rinan; see rain (n.), and compare Old Norse rigna, Swedish regna, Danish regne, Old High German reganon, German regnen, Gothic rignjan. Related: Rained; raining. Transferred and figurative use of other things that fall as rain (blessings, tears, etc.) is recorded from c. 1200.

To rain on (someone's) parade is attested from 1941. Phrase to rain cats and dogs is attested from 1738 (variation rain dogs and polecats is from 1650s), of unknown origin, despite intense speculation. One of the less likely suggestions is pets sliding off sod roofs when the sod got too wet during a rainstorm. (Ever see a dog react to a rainstorm by climbing up on an exposed roof?) Probably rather an extension of cats and dogs as proverbial for "strife, enmity" (1570s).
rain forest (n.): 1899, apparently a loan-translation of German Regenwald, coined by A.F.W. Schimper for his 1898 work "Pflanzengeographie."
rain-cloud (n.): also raincloud, 1800, from rain (n.) + cloud (n.).
rain-out (n.): also rain out, rainout, 1947, from rain (v.) + out (adv.). Of baseball games, to be rained out is attested from 1928.
rainbow (n.): Old English renboga; see rain (n.) + bow (n.). Common Germanic compound (Old Frisian reinboga, Old Norse regnbogi, Swedish regenbåge, Dutch regenboog, German Regenbogen). Rainbow trout (1876, American English) so called for its resplendent colors. Old English also had scurboga "shower-bow."
raincheck (n.): also rain-check, rain check, 1884; see rain (n.) + check (n.1). Originally of tickets to rained-out baseball games.
raincoat (n.): also rain-coat, 1821, from rain (n.) + coat (n.).
raindrop (n.): Old English rendropa; see rain (n.) + drop (n.).
rainfall (n.): also rain-fall, "amount of precipitation that falls as rain," 1839, from rain (n.) + fall (n.).
rainmaker (n.): also rain-maker, 1775, in reference to American Indian tribal magicians, from rain (n.) + agent noun of make (v.).
rainproof (adj.): also rain-proof, 1788, from rain (n.) + proof (n.).
rainstorm (n.): 1804, from rain (n.) + storm (n.).
rainwater (n.): Old English renwæter; see rain (n.) + water (n.1).
rainy (adj.): Old English renig; see rain (n.) + -y (2).