Where does “rather” come from?

rather (Middle English) comes from Old English hraþor, from Old English hræþe, from Proto-West Germanic *hraþō.

rather (Middle English): rather

Definitions

  1. rather

Ancestry of “rather”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhraþorsooner, quicker
2Old Englishhræþesoon
3Proto-West Germanic*hraþō—

Words derived from “rather”

Every word from Proto-West Germanic *hraþō →Every word from Old English hræþe →Every word from Old English hraþor →
rather — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer