Where does “rat” come from?

rat (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch ratte, from Old Dutch rato, from Frankish ratt, from Proto-Germanic rattaz, from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₃d- — to scrape.

rat (Dutch): A rat, medium-sized rodent belonging to the genus...

Definitions

  1. A rat, medium-sized rodent belonging to the genus...

Ancestry of “rat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchratterat
2Old Dutchrato
3Frankishratt
4Proto-Germanicrattazrat
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanHreh₃d-to scrape

Words derived from “rat

Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₃d-