rat
pronunciation
How to pronounce rat in British English:
UK [ræt]
How to pronounce rat in American English:
US [ræt]
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- Noun:
- any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
- someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike
- a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
- one who reveals confidential information in return for money
- a pad (usually made of hair) worn as part of a woman's coiffure
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- Verb:
- desert one's party or group of friends, for example, for one's personal advantage
- employ scabs or strike breakers in
- take the place of work of someone on strike
- give (hair) the appearance of being fuller by using a rat
- catch rats, especially with dogs
- give away information about somebody
Word Origin
- rat
- rat: [OE] Rat is a general western European term, with relatives in French rat, Italian ratto, Spanish rata, German ratte, Dutch rat, Swedish råatta, and Danish rotte. These all come from Vulgar Latin *rattus, whose origin is unknown.
- rat (n.)
- late Old English ræt "rat," of uncertain origin. Similar words are found in Celtic (Gaelic radan), Romanic (Italian ratto, Spanish rata, French rat) and Germanic (Old Saxon ratta; Dutch rat; German Ratte, dialectal Ratz; Swedish råtta, Danish rotte) languages, but connection is uncertain and origin unknown. In all this it is very much like cat. Perhaps from Vulgar Latin *rattus, but Weekley thinks this is of Germanic origin, "the animal having come from the East with the race-migrations" and the word passing thence to the Romanic languages. American Heritage and Tucker connect Old English ræt to Latin rodere and thus PIE *red- "to scrape, scratch, gnaw," source of rodent (q.v.). Klein says there is no such connection and suggests a possible cognate in Greek rhine "file, rasp." Weekley connects them with a question mark and Barnhart writes, "the relationship to each other of the Germanic, Romance, and Celtic words for rat is uncertain." OED says "probable" the rat word spread from Germanic to Romanic, but takes no position on ultimate origin. RATS. Of these there are the following kinds: a black rat and a grey rat, a py-rat and a cu-rat. ["Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue," Grose, 1788] Middle English common form was ratton, from augmented Old French form raton. Sense of "one who abandons his associates" (1620s) is from belief that rats leave a ship about to sink or a house about to fall and led to meaning "traitor, informant" (1902; verb 1910). Interjection rats is American English, 1886. To smell a rat is 1540s; "to be put on the watch by suspicion as the cat by the scent of a rat; to suspect danger" [Johnson]. _____-rat, "person who frequents _____" (in earliest reference dock-rat) is from 1864.
- rat (v.)
- 1812, "to desert one's party; 1864 as "to catch rats;" 1910 as "to peach on, inform on, behave dishonestly toward;" from rat (n.). Related: Ratted; ratting.
Example
- 1. Even rat research confirms the importance of early nurture .
- 2. They praised rat meat a healthy alternative to rice .
- 3. Yes , only a rat puppet beat them out .
- 4. The findings are mimicked in rat studies as well .
- 5. She still hasn 't gotten the rat .