Where does “rats” come from?

rats (English) comes from English rat, from Middle English raat, from Old English ræt, from Old English rætt, from Proto-Germanic rattaz, from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₃d- — to scrape.

rats (English): plural of rat; Expression of annoyance; damn,...

Definitions

  1. plural of rat; Expression of annoyance; damn,...

Ancestry of “rats”, step by step

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 Hreh₃d- →Every word from Proto-Germanic rattaz →Every word from Old English rætt →