Where does “crab-eating rat” come from?

crab-eating rat (English) comes from English eating, from Middle English etynge, from Old English eting, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną — smoke; mist, haze.

crab-eating rat (English): Ichthyomys hydrobates, a species of rat found in northern South America

Definitions

  1. Ichthyomys hydrobates, a species of rat found in northern South America

Ancestry of “crab-eating rat”, step by step

crab-eating rat traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English eating

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englisheatingpresent participle of eat; Bred to be eaten;...
2Middle Englishetyngeeating
3Old Englishetingeating
4Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
5Old English-tūnhomestead, village, town
6Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
7Proto-West Germanictūnfence
8Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
9Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
10Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
11Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English crab

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcrabA crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura, having...
2EnglishcarabinerA metal link with a gate that can open and close,...
3GermanKarabinerhakencarabiner, snap hook, snap-link
4GermanKarabinercarbine; Karabinerhaken: carabiner
5Frenchcarabinerifle; mistress of a cavalry soldier
6Frenchcarabincarabineer; medical student
7Frenchescarrabingrave digger
8Middle Frenchscarabéebeetle
9LatinscarabaeusA scarab, black dung beetle, revered in Ancient...
10Ancient Greekκάραβοςa kind of beetle, probably a longhorn beetle; a...

via English rat

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishratA medium-sized rodent belonging to the genus...
2Middle EnglishraatAlternative form of ratte
3Old EnglishrætAlternative form of rætt
4Old Englishrættrat
5Proto-Germanicrattazrat
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanHreh₃d-to scrape
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-Every word from Proto-Celtic dūnomEvery word from Gaulish dunum