rattaz

• The origin of this word (and the related *rattō) is uncertain.
  • It may derive from Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₃d- (“to scrape, gnaw, scratch”)
    • (whence e.g. Latin rōdō and possibly also, but more indirectly, Latin rādō and its derivatives (i.e. raze)), but
    • this is disputed, and Klein says that such a connection does not exist.
  • In view of Welsh rhathu (“to scrape; to chafe”)
    • (via Proto-Brythonic *rėθid and earlier *ratteti from Proto-Celtic *rasdeti (“to scrape; to scratch”),
    • cognate with Latin rādō (“to scrape”)),
    • an ancient Celtic derivative noun like *rattos
    • could conceivably be the source.
  • The word may also go back to an unknown substrate language.
  • Kroonen notes that consonant variation is high in descendant languages,
    • especially in the High German dialects (Middle High German rate, radde, ratte, ratze).
    • Older etymological sources explained
      • the Germanic words as borrowings from Romance,
      • but it is now accepted that this is not the case;
    • Kroonen even asserts that the Romance (and Celtic) words must be borrowed from Germanic.
    • He considers it plausible, however—especially considering dialectal Ratz/Ratze (“polecat”)
      • —that the Germanic word originally referred to a different animal.
      • The rat itself may have been unknown in Europe at a Proto-Germanic date.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈrɑt.tɑz/

Noun

*rattaz m

1. rat

Inflection

Declension of *rattaz (masculine a-stem)

Alternative reconstructions

• *raþô, gen. *ruttaz

Related terms

• *rattō f

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *ratt; *ratō
  • Old English: rætt
    • Middle English: ratte, rotte, rat
      • English: rat
      • Scots: ratt, rat
  • Old Frisian: *rat
    • North Frisian: root
    • West Frisian: rôt
  • Old Dutch: *rato, *roto
    • Middle Dutch: ratte
      • Dutch: rat, rot (Northern Dutch, dialectal)
        • Afrikaans: rot
        • Jersey Dutch: rot
        • Negerhollands: rotto, roto
          • → Virgin Islands Creole: roto (dated)
        • →^? Kari'na: alata (via Sranantongo, possibly from Spanish)
        • →^? Saramaccan: alátu (possibly from Spanish)
      • Limburgish: rat
  • Old High German: rato
    • Middle High German: ratte, rate
      • German: Ratte
      • Luxembourgish: Rat
  • → Old French: rat
    • Middle French: rat
      • French: rat
      • Norman: rat
• → Vulgar Latin: rattus, ratus
  • Asturian: ratu
  • Catalan: rata
  • Galician: rato
  • Italian: ratto
  • Old French: rat, rate
    • Middle French: rat
      • French: rat
  • Portuguese: rato
  • Spanish: rata, rato, ⇒ ratón
  • Translingual: Rattus, Rattus rattus