Estonian

Proper noun

Rein

1. (genitive: Reini) the Rhine.
2. (genitive: Reinu) A male given name, related to English Reynold and Rainer.

Finnish

Proper noun

Rein

1. the Rhine

Declension

Romansch

Alternative forms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader) Rain
• (Sutsilvan, Surmiran) Ragn

Proper noun

Rein m

1. (Sursilvan) the Rhine

English

Noun

rein ‎(plural reins)

1. A strap or rope attached to the bridle or bit, used to control a horse, animal or young child.
2. (figuratively) An instrument or means of curbing, restraining, or governing.
   • Milton

     Let their eyes rove without rein.

Translations

Verb

rein ‎(third-person singular simple present reins, present participle reining, simple past and past participle reined)

1. To direct or stop a horse by using reins.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Chapman

     He mounts and reins his horse.

2. To restrain; to control; to check.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare

     Being once chafed, he cannot / Be reined again to temperance.

Derived terms

• rein in

Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Anglo-Norman reines, Middle French reins, and their source, Latin rēnēs.

Noun

rein ‎(plural reins)

1. (now rare, archaic, chiefly in plural) A kidney.
   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essayes, London: Edward Blount, OCLC 946730821, II.12:

     a man subject to these like imaginations […] hath often the stone imaginarily, before he have it in his reines […].

   • 1611, King James Bible, Lamentations 3:13:

     He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

2. The inward impulses; the affections and passions, formerly supposed to be located in the area of the kidneys.
   • Bible, Proverbs xxiii. 16

     My reins rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

   • Bible, Revelation ii. 23

     I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts.

Anagrams

• Erin, in re

Dutch

Pronunciation

Etymology

From Old Dutch reini, rēni, from Proto-Germanic *hrainiz.

Adjective

rein ‎(comparative reiner, superlative reinst)

1. (formal) clean, spotless
2. pure, sheer

Inflection

Derived terms

• onrein

Anagrams

• erin, nier

Finnish

Noun

rein

1. Instructive plural form of reki.

Anagrams

• erin

French

Etymology

From Latin ren.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁɛ̃/

Noun

rein m ‎(plural reins)

1. (anatomy) kidney
2. (in the plural) small of the back, waist

See also

• rognon

Anagrams

• nier, rien

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁaɪn/
• Homophone: Rhein
• Rhymes: -aɪ̯n

Etymology 1

From Old High German reini, from Proto-Germanic *hrainiz, a suffixed form of Proto-Indo-European *(s)keri-. Cognate with Old Saxon hreni (Low German ren), Dutch rein, Old Norse hreinn (Swedish ren); and with Ancient Greek κρίνειν ‎(krínein) ('separate, decide, judge'; see Watkins 'American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European roots' under 'krei-' for more reflexes), Old Irish criathar. More remotely related to English riddle ‎(“sieve”).

Adjective

rein ‎(comparative reiner, superlative am reinsten)

1. pure, clear, plain
   • 2010, Der Spiegel, issue 24/2010, page 131:

     Natürlich ist eine Weltmeisterschaft kein reines Sportevent mehr, sie ist sicher auch ein bisschen Welt- und Entwicklungspolitik.

     Of course, a world championship is no longer a pure sports event, it surely is also a bit of world and development politics.

Declension

Adverb

rein

1. purely

   Unsere Beziehung ist rein platonisch.‎

   Our relationship is purely platonic.

Etymology 2

Contraction of herein ‎(“in here”) or hinein ‎(“in there”).

Adverb

rein

1. (colloquial) inside, in here

   Er kommt jetzt rein.‎ ― He's coming inside now.

2. (colloquial) inside, in there

   Er geht rein zu den andern.‎ ― He's going inside to the other people.

Usage notes

Unlike the standard language, colloquial German does not distinguish the meanings of hinein ‎(“in there: away from the speaker”) and herein ‎(“in here: towards the speaker”). Rein is used for both meanings.

Synonyms

• herein
• hinein

Related terms

• hinaus
• heraus, raus

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈreiːn/
• Rhymes: -eiːn

Noun

rein f ‎(genitive singular reinar, nominative plural reinar)

1. a strip (of land)

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms

• aðrein
• akrein
• frárein

Middle French

Noun

rein m (plural reins)

1. (anatomy) kidney

Norman

Etymology

From Latin rēn.

Noun

rein m ‎(plural reins)

1. (Jersey, anatomy) kidney

Related terms

• rîngnon

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rejn/, [ɾæɪ̯n]
• Homophone: regn

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hreinn

Alternative forms

• ren

Adjective

rein ‎(neuter singular reint, definite singular and plural reine, comparative reinere, indefinite superlative reinest, definite superlative reineste)

1. clean
2. pure

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hreinn

Noun

rein m ‎(definite singular reinen, indefinite plural reiner, definite plural reinene)

1. a reindeer

Synonyms

• reinsdyr

Derived terms

• reinkalv

References

• “rein” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hreinn

Adjective

rein ‎(neuter singular reint, definite singular and plural reine, comparative reinare, indefinite superlative reinast, definite superlative reinaste)

1. clean
2. pure

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hreinn

Noun

rein m ‎(definite singular reinen, indefinite plural reinar, definite plural reinane)

1. a reindeer

Synonyms

• reinsdyr

Derived terms

• reinkalv

References

• “rein” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old French

Etymology 1

First attested in the plural as reins, from Latin rēnes, plural of the almost unused rēn.

Alternative forms

• rain

Noun

rein m ‎(oblique plural reinz, nominative singular reinz, nominative plural rein)

1. (anatomy) kidney
2. (in the plural, reins) small of the back, lower back

Descendants

• French: rein

Etymology 2

See rien

Noun

rein f ‎(oblique plural reinz, nominative singular rein, nominative plural reinz)

1. Alternative form of rien

Volapük

Noun

rein ‎(plural reins)

1. rain

Declension

Synonyms

• lömib

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian, from Proto-Germanic *regnaz. Compare English rain, Low German Ręgen, Dutch regen, German Regen, Danish regn.

Noun

rein

1. rain