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definitions

entrain

1
[en-treyn]
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verb (used without object)

to go aboard a train.

verb (used with object)

to put aboard a train.

Origin of entrain

1
First recorded in 1880–85; en-1 + train
Related formsen·train·er, noun

entrain

2
[en-treyn]

verb (used with object)

Chemistry. (of a substance, as a vapor) to carry along (a dissimilar substance, as drops of liquid) during a given process, as evaporation or distillation.
(of a liquid) to trap (bubbles).
Meteorology. to transfer (air) into an organized air current from the surrounding atmosphere (opposed to detrain).

Origin of entrain

2
1560–70; < Middle French entrainer, equivalent to en- en-1 + trainer to drag, trail; see train
Related formsen·train·ment, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for entrain

catch, enter, commence, launch, mount, entrain, emplane, board, embus, ascend, climb, embark, scale, enplane

Examples from the Web for entrain

Historical Examples of entrain

  • In reply to this the Russians were ordered to at once entrain.

    The Traitors

    E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim

  • The frills are now all over and it is get ready to entrain and cross over to France.

    The Red Watch

    J. A. Currie

  • Eventually, on the 8th, orders were received to entrain the next day.

  • "Let them entrain with our boys, sir," suggested the kindly Anzac major.

    A Lively Bit of the Front

    Percy F. Westerman

  • He found to his disappointment that only by returning to Madras could he entrain for Beypore.

British Dictionary definitions for entrain

entrain

1

verb

to board or put aboard a train
Derived Formsentrainment, noun

entrain

2

verb (tr)

(of a liquid or gas) to carry along (drops of liquid, bubbles, etc), as in certain distillations
to disperse (air bubbles) through concrete in order to increase its resistance to frost
zoology to adjust (an internal rhythm of an organism) so that it synchronizes with an external cycle, such as that of light and dark
Derived Formsentrainment, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for entrain
v.

"to draw along," 1560s, from French entrainer (12c.), from en- "away" (see en- (1)) + trainer "to drag" (see train (n.)). Related: Entrained; entrainment. A word in chemistry; the word meaning "to get on a locomotive train" is a native formation from the 1860s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper