Where does “downpour” come from?

Downpour comes from Middle English down- combined with Middle English pour, derived from Old English purian, with down- tracing through Old English dūne, adūne, and ofdūne to Proto-Germanic ab meaning away or off.

downpour (English): A heavy rain; To pour down; rain heavily

Definitions

  1. A heavy rain; To pour down; rain heavily

Ancestry of “downpour”, step by step

downpour traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Down

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishDownusually known as County Down
2Middle Englishdoundown
3Old Englishdūnhill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain
4Proto-Germanic*dūnā
5Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English pour

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpourTo cause to flow in a stream, either out of a...
2Middle Englishpourento pour
3Old Englishpurianto look into, investigate

Words derived from “downpour

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-