Where does “ritten” come from?

ritten (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.

ritten (English): A young rat

Definitions

  1. A young rat

Ancestry of “ritten”, step by step

ritten traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English rat

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

via English kitten

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishkittenA young cat, especially before sexual maturity; A...
2Middle Englishkitounkitten
3Middle Englishcatcat (feline)
4Old Englishcattcat
5Proto-West Germanic*kattucat
Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₃d- →
ritten — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer