Drizzlier

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by a more vigorous or persistent form of light rain than usual
2. presenting conditions that are increasingly conducive to a wet and damp atmosphere
3. referring to a state where precipitation becomes noticeably more frequent or intense in its lightness

Etymology: "Drizzlier" is simply the comparative of "drizzly", meaning wetter or more drizzly, and it is built from two parts: "drizzle" plus the suffix "-y". The suffix "-y" traces back through Old English "-ig" and Proto-Germanic "-gaz" to a Proto-Indo-European root, meaning "full of" or "having the quality of," so "drizzly" describes weather that is full of drizzle. The comparative "-ier" is the usual form for adjectives ending in "-y," turning the y into i before adding "-er." Drizzle itself is the older word, and the "-y" ending simply attaches a sense of "characterised by." Because the suffix is so productive, English speakers can add it to almost any weather noun, which is why "drizzly" and its comparative "drizzlier" sit comfortably alongside "rainy" and "showery."