rat

noun
/ɹæt/US/ɹat/

Etymology

From Middle English ratte, rat, rotte, from Old English rætt, from Proto-West Germanic *ratt, from Proto-Germanic *rattaz, *rattō (compare West Frisian rôt, Dutch rat), of uncertain origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₃d- (“to scrape, scratch, gnaw”). However, the rat may have been unknown in Northern Europe in antiquity, and the Proto-Germanic word may have referred to a different animal; see *rattaz for more. Attestation of this family of words begins in the 12th century. Some of the Germanic cognates show considerable 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, although Kroonen 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 descendants. Kroonen states that this requires a Proto-Indo-European etymon in final *t and is incompatible with the usual derivation from Proto-Indo-European *Hreh₃d- (“to scrape, scratch, gnaw”).

  1. derived from *Hreh₃d- — “to scrape, scratch, gnaw
  2. inherited from *rattaz
  3. inherited from *ratt
  4. inherited from rætt
  5. inherited from ratte

Definitions

  1. Any of the numerous members of several rodent families that usually have short limbs, a…

    Any of the numerous members of several rodent families that usually have short limbs, a pointy snout, a long, hairless tail, and a body length greater than about 12 cm, or 5 inches.

  2. A medium-sized rodent belonging to the genus Rattus.

    • 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.
  3. A person who is known for betrayal.

    • Near-synonyms: rouge, scoundrel, snake; see also Thesaurus:villain
    • rat bastard
    • He’s more a man than any pair of rats of you in this here house.
  4. + 24 more definitions
    1. An informant or snitch.

    2. A scab

      A scab: a worker who acts against trade union policies.

    3. 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.
    4. A wad of shed hair used as part of a hairstyle.

    5. A roll of material used to puff out the hair, which is turned over it.

    6. Vagina, vulva.

      • Get your rat out.
      • I don't need no dating app to tell me if I look like crap / To tell me if I'm thin or fat, to tell me should I shave my rat / I don't need no radio, no MTV, no BBC / I just need a bubble bath to set me on a higher path
    7. Ellipsis of muskrat.

      • 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 […]
    8. To hunt or kill rats.

    9. To betray a political party, cause or principle

      To betray a political party, cause or principle; to betray someone, to desert a person or thing.

    10. To work as a scab, going against trade union policies.

    11. To backcomb (hair).

      • In 1962, the higher a girl's hair was ratted the more available she was, it was simply understood.
    12. To inform on someone

      To inform on someone; to betray someone to the police or authorities.

      • He ratted on his coworker.
      • He is going to rat us out!
    13. A scratch or a score.

    14. A place in the sea with rapid currents and crags where a ship is likely to be torn apart…

      A place in the sea with rapid currents and crags where a ship is likely to be torn apart in stormy weather.

    15. To scratch or score.

      • He ratted a vertical line on his face with a pocket knife.
    16. To tear, rip, rend.

      • Ratted to shreds.
    17. Damn, drat, blast

      Damn, drat, blast; used in oaths.

      • “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.”
    18. A ration.

    19. The first of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to…

      The first of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.

    20. Initialism of rapid antigen test.

    21. Initialism of Rapid Area Transit.

    22. Initialism of ram air turbine.

    23. Initialism of remote-access Trojan.

    24. Initialism of relevant alternatives theory.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for rat. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA