Where does “rat” come from?

rat (French) comes from Middle French rat, from Old French rat, from Old High German rato, from Proto-Germanic ratō, from Proto-Germanic rattaz, from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₃d- — to scrape.

rat (French): rat; sweetheart; scrooch

Definitions

  1. rat; sweetheart; scrooch

Ancestry of “rat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchratrat
2Old Frenchratrat rodent
3Old High Germanratorat
4Proto-Germanicratō—
5Proto-Germanicrattazrat
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanHreh₃d-to scrape

Words derived from “rat”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₃d- →
rat — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer