Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rattaz

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology

The origin of this word (and the related *rattō) is uncertain.^[1] 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), but this is disputed, and Klein says that such a connection does not exist.^[2] 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.^[3] 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)
	singular	plural
nominative	*rattaz	rattōz, rattōs
vocative	*ratt	rattōz, rattōs
accusative	*rattą	*rattanz
genitive	rattas, rattis	*rattǫ̂
dative	*rattai	*rattamaz
instrumental	*rattō	*rattamiz

Alternative reconstructions

*raþô, gen. *ruttaz^[3]

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

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*raþan- ~ *ratta(n)-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 405
^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “rat”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Kroonen, Guus (2011) “*raþō, *ruttaz”, in The Proto-Germanic n-stems: A study in diachronic morphophonology, Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, pages 221–223

[EDPG-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*raþan- ~ *ratta(n)-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎^[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 405

[2] Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “rat”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

[PGnS-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Kroonen, Guus (2011) “*raþō, *ruttaz”, in The Proto-Germanic n-stems: A study in diachronic morphophonology, Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, pages 221–223

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