Where does “rattletrap” come from?
rattletrap (English) comes from English rattle, from Arabic رَطْل, from Classical Syriac ܪܝܛܠܐ, from Classical Syriac ܠܝܛܪܐ, from French litre, from Medieval Latin litra, from Ancient Greek λίτρα, from Proto-Italic *līðrā — ingot.
rattletrap (English): Mechanically unreliable or in disrepair; A...
Definitions
- Mechanically unreliable or in disrepair; A...
Ancestry of “rattletrap”, step by step
rattletrap traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English rattle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rattle | a sound made by loose objects shaking or... |
| 2 | Arabic | رَطْل | — |
| 3 | Classical Syriac | ܪܝܛܠܐ | — |
| 4 | Classical Syriac | ܠܝܛܪܐ | libra, pound |
| 5 | French | litre | litre |
| 6 | Medieval Latin | litra | — |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | λίτρα | litra, a Sicilian silver coin; libra, a unit of... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *līðrā | ingot |
via English trap
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | trap | A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body |
| 2 | Middle English | trappe | trap |
| 3 | Old English | træppe | a trap |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | trap- | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dreb- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | der- | to split, to separate; to tear, to crack, to... |