Where does “rottegift” come from?

rottegift (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål rotte, from Middle Low German rotte, from Proto-Germanic rattaz, from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₃d- — to scrape.

rottegift (Norwegian Bokmål): rat poison

Definitions

  1. rat poison

Ancestry of “rottegift”, step by step

rottegift traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian Bokmål rotte

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmålrottea rat
2Middle Low Germanrotte—
3Proto-Germanicrattazrat
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanHreh₃d-to scrape

via Norwegian Bokmål gift

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmålgiftpoison; married; imperative of gifte
Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₃d- →Every word from Proto-Germanic rattaz →Every word from Middle Low German rotte →