Where does “fattig som en kyrkråtta” come from?
fattig som en kyrkråtta (Swedish) comes from Swedish råtta, from Swedish rätt, from Middle Low German rât, from Old Saxon rāt, from Proto-West Germanic rād, from Proto-Germanic rēdaz, from Proto-Indo-European Hréh₁dʰos, from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₁dʰ- — to fit, to fix, to put together.
fattig som en kyrkråtta (Swedish): poor as a church mouse (very poor)
Definitions
- poor as a church mouse (very poor)
Ancestry of “fattig som en kyrkråtta”, step by step
fattig som en kyrkråtta traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Swedish råtta
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | råtta | rat; an omnivorous rodent of the genus "Rattus" |
| 2 | Swedish | rätt | right, correct; rightly, correctly; rather,... |
| 3 | Middle Low German | rât | — |
| 4 | Old Saxon | rāt | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | rād | advice, counsel |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | rēdaz | advice, counsel |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | Hréh₁dʰos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₁dʰ- | to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |
via Swedish kyrka
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | kyrka | a church |
| 2 | Old Swedish | kyrkia | church Christian house of worship |
| 3 | Old Norse | kirkja | church |
| 4 | Old English | ċiriċe | church |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | kirikā | church |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | κυριακόν | church |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | Κύριος | Lord |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | *kúrios | lord, master |
via Swedish söm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | söm | seam |
| 2 | Swedish | -nad | suffix used to create nouns, particularly from... |
| 3 | Old Norse | -naðr | suffix used to create nouns, particularly from... |
| 4 | Old Norse | -aðr | suffix used to create adjectives meaning “having,... |
| 5 | Proto-Norse | -ᛟᚦᚢᛉ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ōdaz | Forms adjectives from nouns, indicating the... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |