Rainless

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having no rain or precipitation over a given period
2. Marked by an absence of rainfall or any form of rain
3. Characterized by dry conditions with no rain falling

Etymology: "Rainless" is a plain compound: the noun "rain" with the suffix "-less," meaning "without." The suffix comes from Old English "-lēas," which meant "free from" or "lacking," and it traces back through Proto-Germanic to a root that also gave English "loose," a connection that shows in the older sense of "-less" as "released from." "Rain" itself has a longer pedigree. It descends from Old English "regn," which passed through Proto-Germanic "regnąz" and reaches back to a very old Indo-European root that also produced words for wetness and moisture. Middle English spelled it "reyn" before the modern form settled in. Because "-less" attaches so freely to nouns, English speakers have formed many similar adjectives such as "windless" and "cloudless." "Rainless" is therefore a transparent construction whose meaning can be read directly from its parts.

Synonyms: dry, arid, parched

Antonyms: rainy, wet, damp