Where does “ratty” come from?
Ratty derives from Middle English -y, Middle French -ie, Latin -ia, Latin -ivus, Latin -ia, and Proto-Indo-European -kos, tracing a suffix chain that formed adjectives from nouns.
ratty (English): Similar to a rat; ratlike; Infested with rats; In...
Definitions
- Similar to a rat; ratlike; Infested with rats; In...
Ancestry of “ratty”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 2 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 3 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
Words derived from “ratty”