Where does “birthrate” come from?
Birthrate comes from English rate, which derives from Middle English rate, Old Norse hrata, and Old French bourde, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots.
birthrate (English): the ratio of total live births to total...
Definitions
- the ratio of total live births to total...
Ancestry of “birthrate”, step by step
birthrate traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English rate
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rate | The worth of something; value; The proportional... |
| 2 | French | rate | spleen; female equivalent of rat; female rat;... |
| 3 | French | rat | rat; sweetheart; scrooch |
| 4 | Middle French | rat | rat |
| 5 | Old French | rat | rat rodent |
| 6 | Old High German | rato | rat |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | ratō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | rattaz | rat |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₃d- | to scrape |