Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rattaz
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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[edit]
Etymology[edit]
The origin of this word (and the related *rattō) is uncertain. It may derive from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁d- (“to scrape, gnaw, scratch”) (whence e.g. Latin rōdō and Latin rādō), but this is disputed, and Klein says that such a connection does not exist.[1] 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.[2] The rat itself may have been unknown in Europe at a Proto-Germanic date.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
*rattaz m
Inflection[edit]
| masculine a-stemDeclension 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[edit]
- *raþô, gen. *ruttaz[2]
Related terms[edit]
- *rattō f
Descendants[edit]
- Proto-West Germanic: *ratt; *ratō
- → Vulgar Latin: rattus, ratus
References[edit]
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “rat”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kroonen, Guus (2011) “*raþō, *ruttaz”, in The Proto-Germanic n-stems: A study in diachronic morphophonology, Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, pages 221–223