Where does “rat race” come from?
rat race (English) comes from English race, from Middle French race, from Italian razza, from Italian razzo, from Italian raggio, from Latin radius, from English -án, from Middle English -an.
rat race (English): An activity or situation which is congested with...
Definitions
- An activity or situation which is congested with...
Ancestry of “rat race”, step by step
rat race traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English race
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | race | A contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc.... |
| 2 | Middle French | race | race; breed |
| 3 | Italian | razza | race, breed; kind, type; family, descent |
| 4 | Italian | razzo | skyrocket; Ellipsis of razzo di segnalazione;... |
| 5 | Italian | raggio | ray, beam, shaft; spoke; radius |
| 6 | Latin | radius | ray; staff, rod; spoke |
| 7 | English | -án | Of or pertaining to;. Often added to words of Latin origin, but also used with words of other origins. When a word ends in a |
| 8 | Middle English | -an | — |