Where does “brat” come from?

Brat comes from German Bratwurst, from Middle High German brātwurst, from Old High German brātwurst, a compound of uncertain ultimate origin.

brat (English): A child who is regarded as mischievous, unruly,...

Definitions

  1. A child who is regarded as mischievous, unruly,...

Ancestry of “brat”, step by step

brat traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Scots bratchet

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scotsbratchetbitch, hound
2Old Frenchbrachethunting dog trained to follow the scent of an...
3Old Occitanbrachound
4Frankishbrakko—
5Proto-Germanicbrakdog that hunts by scent
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰreh₂g-to smell

via English bratwurst

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbratwurstA small pork sausage, usually served fried
2Germanbrātwursta sausage which has been or is suited to be fried or grilled; a bratwurst
3Middle High Germanbrātwurst—
4Old High Germanbrātwurst—

via Old English bratt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbrattcloak
2Old Irishbrattcloak; cloth
3Proto-Celticbrattoscloak, mantle

Words derived from “brat”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰreh₂g- →