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Vent vs Drain - What's the difference?

vent | drain |

In intransitive terms the difference between vent and drain

is that vent is to allow gases to escape while drain is to flow gradually.

In transitive terms the difference between vent and drain

is that vent is to allow to escape through a vent while drain is to draw off by degrees; to cause to flow gradually out or off; hence, to exhaust.

vent

English

Etymology 1

Partly from (etyl) vent, from (etyl) ventus and party from (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • An opening through which gases, especially air, can pass.
  • the vent''' of a cask; the '''vent of a mould
  • A small aperture.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Look, how thy wounds do bleed at many vents .
  • * Alexander Pope
  • Long 'twas doubtful, both so closely pent, / Which first should issue from the narrow vent .
  • The opening of a volcano from which lava flows.
  • A verbalized frustration.
  • The excretory opening of lower orders of vertebrates.
  • A slit in the seam of a garment.
  • The opening at the breech of a firearm, through which fire is communicated to the powder of the charge; touchhole.
  • In steam boilers, a sectional area of the passage for gases divided by the length of the same passage in feet.
  • Opportunity of escape or passage from confinement or privacy; outlet.
  • Emission; escape; passage to notice or expression; publication; utterance.
  • * Milton
  • without the vent of words
  • * Shakespeare
  • Thou didst make tolerable vent of thy travel.
    Derived terms
    * ridge vent

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To allow gases to escape.
  • The stove vents to the outside.
  • To allow to escape through a vent.
  • Exhaust is vented to the outside.
  • (intransitive) To express a strong emotion.
  • He vents his anger violently.
    Can we talk? I need to vent .
  • * 2013 June 18, , " Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders," New York Times (retrieved 21 June 2013):
  • But the demonstrators remained defiant, pouring into the streets by the thousands and venting their anger over political corruption, the high cost of living and huge public spending for the World Cup and the Olympics.
  • To snuff; to breathe or puff out; to snort.
  • (Spenser)

    Etymology 2

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Ventriloquism.
  • Derived terms
    * vent puppet

    Etymology 3

    (etyl) vente, from (etyl) (lena) .

    Noun

  • sale; opportunity to sell; market
  • (Shelton)
  • * Sir W. Temple
  • There is no vent for any commodity but of wool.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To sell; to vend.
  • * Sir Walter Raleigh
  • Therefore did those nations vent such spice.

    Etymology 4

    (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) A baiting place; an inn.
  • ----

    drain

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A conduit allowing liquid to flow out of an otherwise contained volume.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-03, volume=101, issue=2, page=114, magazine=(American Scientist)
  • , author=Frank Fish, George Lauder , title= Not Just Going with the Flow , passage=An extreme version of vorticity is a vortex . The vortex is a spinning, cyclonic mass of fluid, which can be observed in the rotation of water going down a drain , as well as in smoke rings, tornados and hurricanes.}}
  • An access point or conduit for rainwater that drains directly downstream in a (drainage) basin without going through sewers or water treatment in order to prevent or belay floods.
  • Something consuming resources and providing nothing in return.
  • (label) An act of urination.
  • (label) The name of one terminal of a field effect transistor (FET).
  • Derived terms

    * circle the drain * down the drain * drain fly

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To lose liquid.
  • The clogged sink drained slowly.
  • To flow gradually.
  • The water of low ground drains off.
  • (ergative) To cause liquid to flow out of.
  • Please drain the sink. It's full of dirty water.
  • (ergative) To convert a perennially wet place into a dry one.
  • They had to drain the swampy land before the parking lot could be built.
  • To deplete of energy or resources.
  • The stress of this job is really draining me.
  • To draw off by degrees; to cause to flow gradually out or off; hence, to exhaust.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • Fountains drain the water from the ground adjacent.
  • * Motley
  • But it was not alone that he drained their treasure and hampered their industry.
  • (obsolete) To filter.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • Salt water, drained through twenty vessels of earth, hath become fresh.
  • (pinball) To fall off the bottom of the playfield.
  • * 1990 , Steven A. Schwartz, Compute's Nintendo Secrets
  • When a ball finally drains , it's gulped down by a giant gator beneath the set of flippers.

    Derived terms

    * drainage * drain the lizard (vulgar)

    Anagrams

    *