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prettygoodwordserein (suh-RAN) or (rare/obs.) serene (suh-REEN) - n., a fine rain falling from an apparently clear sky, esp. after sunset.
This was, formerly, the supposed source of dew. The phenomenon is more common in tropical climates than temperate, and possible explanations include the cloud evaporating as it condenses the raindrops and the rain being blown from elsewhere. We got the word in the 1860s from French, from Middle French serain, evening/nightfall, from hypothetical Vulgar Latin form *sērānum, from Latin sērum, a late hour, neuter of sērus, late -- though note that this etymology is complicated by the nearby existence of serene meaning untroubled (from Latin serēnus, clear/cloudless).
---L.
This was, formerly, the supposed source of dew. The phenomenon is more common in tropical climates than temperate, and possible explanations include the cloud evaporating as it condenses the raindrops and the rain being blown from elsewhere. We got the word in the 1860s from French, from Middle French serain, evening/nightfall, from hypothetical Vulgar Latin form *sērānum, from Latin sērum, a late hour, neuter of sērus, late -- though note that this etymology is complicated by the nearby existence of serene meaning untroubled (from Latin serēnus, clear/cloudless).
---L.
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Date: 2026-05-11 11:51 am (UTC)