Wiktionary

rat

See also: Rat, RAT, rất, rät, and råt

EnglishEdit

 
A brown rat, one of the many species of rat.
 
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PronunciationEdit

  • enPR: răt, IPA(key): /ɹæt/
  • Audio (US)
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  • Audio (UK)
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  • Rhymes: -æt

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)

  1. (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.
  2. (informal) Any of the numerous members of several rodent families (e.g. voles and mice) that resemble true rats in appearance, usually having a pointy snout, a long, bare tail, and body length greater than about 12 cm, or 5 inches.
  3. (informal) A person who is known for betrayal; a scoundrel; a quisling.
    What a rat, leaving us stranded here!
  4. (informal) An informant or snitch.
  5. (informal) A scab: a worker who acts against trade union policies.
  6. (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.
  7. A wad of shed hair used as part of a hairstyle.
  8. A roll of material used to puff out the hair, which is turned over it.
  9. (Britain, north-west London, slang, vulgar) Vagina.
    Get your rat out.
  10. (chiefly informal) Short for muskrat.
    • 1910, L. W. Pierce, "Muskrats are fast disappearing", in Hunter-trader-trapper, page 70:
      The price of rats began to rise and soon after the marsh froze over, spearing rats began, which was done with a one tine three-eighths inch steel rod, with a wooden handle […]
    • 1929, E. J. Dailey, in Hardings Magazine's Question Box, printed in Fur Fish Game, page 73:
      Where natural marshes, or natural foods are found, are best places for raising muskrats. Louisiana and other southern states raise millions of rats, but they do not bring as good prices as northern raised ones. Delaware and Maryland have famed marshes. Other states are becoming noted for muskrat raising, also.
SynonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
Terms derived from rat
TranslationsEdit
See alsoEdit

VerbEdit

rat (third-person singular simple present rats, present participle ratting, simple past and past participle ratted)

  1. (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!
  2. (informal, intransitive) To work as a scab, going against trade union policies.
  3. (of a dog, etc.) To kill rats.
SynonymsEdit
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.
Translations to be checked

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)

  1. (regional) A scratch or a score.
  2. (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)

  1. (regional) To scratch or score.
    He ratted a vertical line on his face with a pocket knife.
  2. (regional, rare, obsolete) To tear, rip, rend.
    Ratted to shreds.
  3. 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.”
Usage notesEdit

The verb rat is rarely used in the second sense. In the sense to tear, rip, rend, the form to-rat is more common. Compare German zerreißen (“to rip up, tear, rend”).

ReferencesEdit

Etymology 3Edit

NounEdit

rat (plural rats)

  1. (military, slang) A ration.
    • 2014, John, Buffoon (page 243)
      With regards to the testing of his product, the initial blood analysis had come back confirming huge, distinctive nutritional superiority for Stewart's military ration pack. Given that the policy of the British Army is to be fully ready for war at the drop of a hat, he was sitting on the potential of supplying new rats for the entire army […]
Derived termsEdit

AnagramsEdit

CatalanEdit

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

rat m (plural rats)

  1. rat

SynonymsEdit

DanishEdit

EtymologyEdit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

rat n (singular definite rattet, plural indefinite rat)

  1. wheel, steering wheel

InflectionEdit

Declension of rat
neuter
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative rat rattet rat rattene
genitive rats rattets rats rattenes

DutchEdit

Alternative formsEdit

  • rot (Northern Dutch, dialectal)

EtymologyEdit

From Middle Dutch ratte.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

rat f (plural ratten, diminutive ratje n)

  1. A rat; rodent of the genus Rattus, or of certain other genera in the family Muridae.

Derived termsEdit

FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle French rat (“rat”), from Old French rat (“rat”).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

rat m (plural rats)

  1. rat
  2. (informal) sweetheart
  3. scrooch

Related termsEdit

Further readingEdit

AnagramsEdit

KalashaEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Sanskrit रात्रि (rātri). Cognate with Hindi रात (rāt).

NounEdit

rat

  1. night

Middle DutchEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Dutch *rath, from Proto-Germanic *raþą, from Proto-Indo-European *Hret-.

NounEdit

rat n

  1. wheel
    Synonym: wiel
InflectionEdit

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

DescendantsEdit
  • Dutch: rad
  • Limburgish: raad

Etymology 2Edit

From Old Dutch *rath, from Proto-Germanic *raþaz, from Proto-Indo-European *Hret-.

AdjectiveEdit

rat

  1. fast, quick
InflectionEdit

This adjective needs an inflection-table template.

DescendantsEdit

Further readingEdit

Middle EnglishEdit

NounEdit

rat

  1. Alternative form of ratte

NormanEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old French rat (“rat”).

NounEdit

rat m (plural rats)

  1. (Jersey, Guernsey) rat

Derived termsEdit

OccitanEdit

NounEdit

rat m (plural rats)

  1. (Rattus rattus)[1] black rat

SynonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ Gui Benoèt, "Las bèstias", 2008, Toulouse, IEO Edicions, 2008, →ISBN, p. 161

Old FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

Of Germanic origin, from Old High German rato (“rat”) or Frankish *rato (“rat”).

NounEdit

rat m (oblique plural raz or ratz, nominative singular raz or ratz, nominative plural rat)

  1. rat (rodent)

DescendantsEdit

ReferencesEdit

Bratchet, A. (1873), “rat”, in Kitchin, G. W., transl., Etymological dictionary of the French language (Clarendon Press Series), 1st edition, London: Oxford/MacMillan and Co.

RomaniEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Sanskrit रक्त (rakta, “blood”). Cognate with dialectal Hindi रात (rāt) and Punjabi ਰੱਤ (rat).

NounEdit

rat m (plural rat)

  1. blood

RomanschEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Frankish *rato (“rat”).

NounEdit

rat m (plural rats)

  1. (Surmiran) rat

SynonymsEdit

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)

  1. war
    Samo idioti misle da rat r(j)ešava probleme.‎
    Only idiots think that war solves problems.

DeclensionEdit

Declension of rat
singular plural
nominative rat ratovi
genitive rata ratova
dative ratu ratovima
accusative rat ratove
vocative rate ratovi
locative ratu ratovima
instrumental ratom ratovima

SynonymsEdit

Torres Strait CreoleEdit

EtymologyEdit

From English rat.

NounEdit

rat

  1. rat or mouse

SynonymsEdit

VolapükEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from English rat.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

rat (nominative plural rats)

  1. rat (rodent of the family Muridae)

DeclensionEdit

declension of rat
singular plural
nominative rat rats
genitive rata ratas
dative rate rates
accusative rati ratis
vocative 1 o rat! o rats!
predicative 2 ratu ratus
  • 1 status as a case is disputed
  • 2 in later, non-classical Volapük only

HypernymsEdit

HyponymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

See alsoEdit

WestrobothnianEdit

EtymologyEdit

Cognate to Icelandic hrat n.

NounEdit

rat n

  1. garbage, waste, in forest lying twigs, rotten trees and stumps
    Hä ligg fullt vä rat å gval i skogjen
    The forest is full of rubbish and waste.
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