Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rat” come from?

Rat comes from Middle English rat, from Old English ræt, from Latin rupta, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European reh₁d-.

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

Definitions

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

Ancestry of “rat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishraatAlternative form of ratte
2Old EnglishrætAlternative form of rætt
3Old Englishrættrat
4Proto-Germanicrattazrat
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanHreh₃d-to scrape

Words derived from “rat”

  • muskrat
  • ratty
  • woodrat
  • ratcatcher
  • ratter
  • ratline
  • packrat
  • rathole
  • ratsbane
  • ratlike
  • rattail
  • rattrap
  • ratling
  • ratbag
  • ratfish
  • hoodrat
  • antirat
  • rugrat
  • rattish
  • ratshit
  • wererat
  • ratproof
  • ratfuck
  • ratface
Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₃d- →