Where does “muskrat” come from?
Muskrat comes from Middle English muskrat, blending Middle English musk and rat, with rat deriving from Old English ræt, Latin rupta, and Proto-Indo-European reh₁d-.
muskrat (English): A large aquatic rodent; Any of several species of...
Definitions
- A large aquatic rodent; Any of several species of...
Ancestry of “muskrat”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abenaki | moskwas | muskrat, musquash |
| 2 | Proto-Algonquian | *waʔšaškwa | muskrat |