rat
EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Middle English ratte, rat, rotte, from Old English ræt, 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) A term indiscriminately applied to 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.
- (Britain, north-west London, slang, vulgar) Vagina.
- Get your rat out.
- A wad of shed hair used as part of a hairstyle.
SynonymsEdit
- (person known for betrayal): traitor (see for more synonyms)
- (informer): stool pigeon
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
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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 someone and tell 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.
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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.
- trust, believe
- 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.”
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
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
NounEdit
rat m (plural rats)
SynonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Gui Benoèt, "Las bèstias", 2008, Toulouse, IEO Edicions, 2008, ISBN 978-2-85910-454-2, p. 161
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”). Compare dialectal Hindi रात (rāt) and Punjabi ਰੱਤ (ratt, “blood”).
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)