rat
EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Middle English ratte, rat, rotte, from Old English rætt, as though from Proto-Germanic *rattaz, *rattō (compare West Frisian rôt, Dutch rat), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁d- (“to scrape, scratch, gnaw”); however, the rat was unknown in Northern Europe in antiquity, so if the Proto-Germanic word is real it must have referred to a different animal. Attestation of this family of words begins in the 12th century.
Some of the Germanic cognates show consonant variation, e.g. Middle Low German ratte, radde; Middle High German rate, ratte, ratze. The irregularity may be symptomatic of a late dispersal of the word, in which case it would not be old. Kroonen (2011) rather accounts for it with a Proto-Germanic stem *raþō nom., *ruttaz gen., showing both ablaut and a Kluge's law alternation, with the variation arising from varying remodellings in the daughters. Kroonen's explanation requires a Proto-Indo-European etymon in final *t, and is hence incompatible with the usual derivation from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁d- (“to scrape, scratch, gnaw”).
NounEdit
rat (plural rats)
- (zoology) A medium-sized rodent belonging to the genus Rattus.
- 2013 May-June, Charles T. Ambrose, “Alzheimer’s Disease”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 200:
- Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems—surgical foam, a thermal gel depot, a microcapsule or biodegradable polymer beads.
- (informal) Any of the numerous members of several rodent families (e.g. voles and mice) having bodies longer than about 12 cm, or 5 inches.
- (informal) A person who is known for betrayal; a scoundrel; a quisling.
- 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
- He’s more a man than any pair of rats of you in this here house.
- What a rat, leaving us stranded here!
- 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
- (informal) An informant or snitch.
- (informal) A scab: a worker who acts against trade union policies.
- (slang) A person who routinely spends time at a particular location.
- Our teenager has become a mall rat.
- He loved hockey and was a devoted rink rat.
- A wad of shed hair used as part of a hairstyle.
- A roll of material used to puff out the hair, which is turned over it.
- (Britain, north-west London, slang, vulgar) Vagina.
- Get your rat out.
SynonymsEdit
- (person known for betrayal): traitor (see for more synonyms)
- (informer): stool pigeon
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
|
|
|
|
See alsoEdit
VerbEdit
rat (third-person singular simple present rats, present participle ratting, simple past and past participle ratted)
- (usually with “on” or “out”) To betray a person or party, especially by telling their secret to an authority or an enemy; to turn someone in.
- He ratted on his coworker.
- He is going to rat us out!
- (informal, intransitive) To work as a scab, going against trade union policies.
- (of a dog, etc.) To kill rats.
SynonymsEdit
- (to betray someone to an authority): tell on, to finger or put the finger on, bewray
TranslationsEdit
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
|
Etymology 2Edit
From Middle English ratten, further etymology unknown. Compare Middle High German ratzen (“to scratch; rasp; tear”). Could be related to write. See also rit.
NounEdit
rat (plural rats)
- (regional) A scratch or a score.
- (nautical, regional) A place in the sea with rapid currents and crags where a ship is likely to be torn apart in stormy weather.
VerbEdit
rat (third-person singular simple present rats, present participle ratting, simple past and past participle ratted)
- (regional) To scratch or score.
- He ratted a vertical line on his face with a pocket knife.
- (regional, rare, obsolete) To tear, rip, rend.
- Ratted to shreds.
- damn, drat, blast; used in oaths
- 1904, Rafael Sabatini, The Tavern Knight, chapter XXVI:
- “But, rat me, sir,” cried Foster in bewilderment, “tis too generous—'pon honour it is. I can't consent to it. No, rat me, I can't.”
- 1904, Rafael Sabatini, The Tavern Knight, chapter XXVI:
Usage notesEdit
The verb "rat" is rarely used in the second sense. In the sense of to tear, rip, rend, the form to-rat is more common. Compare German zerreißen (“to rip up, tear, rend”).
ReferencesEdit
AnagramsEdit
CatalanEdit
DanishEdit
EtymologyEdit
(This etymology is missing. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
rat n (singular definite rattet, plural indefinite rat)
InflectionEdit
DutchEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle Dutch ratte.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
rat f (plural ratten, diminutive ratje n)
FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle French rat (“rat”), from Old French rat (“rat”), from Frankish *rato (“rat”); further origin uncertain. More at rat.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
rat m (plural rats)
Related termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “rat” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
AnagramsEdit
KalashaEdit
Middle DutchEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Old Dutch *rath, from Proto-Germanic *raþą, from Proto-Indo-European *Hret-.
NounEdit
rat n
InflectionEdit
This noun needs an inflection-table template.
DescendantsEdit
Etymology 2Edit
From Old Dutch *rath, from Proto-Germanic *raþaz, from Proto-Indo-European *Hret-.
AdjectiveEdit
rat
InflectionEdit
This adjective needs an inflection-table template.
DescendantsEdit
- Dutch: rad
Further readingEdit
- “rat”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- “rat (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, 1929
- “rat (III)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, 1929
Middle EnglishEdit
NormanEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old French rat (“rat”).
NounEdit
rat m (plural rats)
Derived termsEdit
- coue d'rat (“horsetail”)
- rat dg'ieau (“water vole”)
- rat mustchi (“muskrat”)
OccitanEdit
Old FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
Of Germanic origin. See rat for more.
NounEdit
rat m (oblique plural raz or ratz, nominative singular raz or ratz, nominative plural rat)
- rat (rodent)
DescendantsEdit
RomaniEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Sanskrit रक्त (rakta, “blood”). Cognate with dialectal Hindi रात (rāt) and Punjabi ਰੱਤ (rat).
NounEdit
rat m (plural rat)
RomanschEdit
Serbo-CroatianEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Proto-Slavic *ortь, from the o-grade of Proto-Indo-European *h₃er- (“to rise, to attack”), cognate to Ancient Greek ἔρις (éris, “quarrel, strife”), Sanskrit ऋति (ṛti, “assault”) and Proto-Germanic *ernustuz (“struggle, fight”)
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
rȁt m (Cyrillic spelling ра̏т)
- war
- Samo idioti misle da rat r(j)ešava probleme.
- Only idiots think that war solves problems.
DeclensionEdit
SynonymsEdit
Torres Strait CreoleEdit
VolapükEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
rat (nominative plural rats)