Where does “rat” come from?
rat (Norman) comes 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 (Norman): rat
Ancestry of “rat”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | rat | rat |
| 2 | Old High German | rato | rat |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | ratō | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | rattaz | rat |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₃d- | to scrape |