ratel

See also: râtél

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans ratel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹeɪtəl/, /ˈɹɑːtəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪtəl, -ɑːtəl

Noun

ratel (plural ratels)

1. Synonym of honey badger.

Descendants

• → Italian: ratelo

Translations

Mellivora capensis — see honey badger

Anagrams

• Alert, alert, alter, alter-, altre, artel, later, taler, telar

Afrikaans

Etymology

A shortening of Dutch rateldas, formed (in South Africa) from (dialectal) ratel (“honeycomb”) + das (“badger”).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

ratel (plural ratels)

1. honey badger
2. badger

   Synonym: das

Descendants

• → Catalan: ratel
• → English: ratel
  • → Italian: ratelo

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans ratel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [rəˈte̞l]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central) [rəˈtɛl]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [raˈtɛl]

Noun

ratel m (plural ratels)

1. honey badger

Further reading

• “ratel”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈraː.təl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ra‧tel
• Rhymes: -aːtəl

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch ratele.

Noun

ratel f or m (plural ratels, diminutive rateltje n)

1. (music) ratchet, rattle
2. ratchet (tool or mechanism)
3. socket wrench
4. rattle (organ for making noise, such as a rattlesnake's)

Related terms

• ratelaar
• ratelen

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: ratel (dated)

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch ratele, a compound of râte (“honeycomb”) and -ele. The suffix is ultimately from Proto-Germanic *-ilaz (agent/instrumental/diminutive suffix), and râte (now raat) is ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *hrātu (“honeycomb”), which is probably inherited from Proto-Germanic *hrētō-.

Noun

ratel f (plural ratels, diminutive rateltje n)

2. (Belgium) honeycomb
   • 1895, De Mandelbie, volume 1, number 6, page 86:

     Zij zullen meêdoogenloos uitgeplunterd worden ; zelfs de ratels zullen hunne vraatzucht niet ontgaan, zooals gij verder zult zien.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1971, Vlaams Imkersblad, page 227:

     Honig diende tot voeding en werd als offer in de godsdienstige plechtigheden aangeboden. De oude Kelten, over drie duizend jaren, boden de landelijke godheden een ratel (raat) zeem aan om de zegening der veldvruchten te bekomen.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. (uncommon, chiefly South Africa) ratel [from 18th c.]

   Synonym: honingdas

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

ratel

1. inflection of ratelen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

Anagrams

• alert, later

Portuguese

Etymology

From Afrikaans ratel, itself a shortening of Dutch rateldas, formed (in South Africa) from (dialectal) ratel (“honeycomb”) + das (“badger”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁaˈtɛw/ [haˈtɛʊ̯]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁaˈtɛw/ [haˈtɛʊ̯]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ʁaˈtɛw/ [χaˈtɛʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɐˈtɛl/ [ʁɐˈtɛɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɐˈtɛl/ [ʁɐˈtɛɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɐˈtɛ.li/

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -ɛl, (Brazil) -ɛw
• Hyphenation: ra‧tel

Noun

ratel m (plural ratéis)

1. honey badger (Mellivora capensis, a mustelid of Africa, Arabia and India)

   Synonym: texugo-do-mel

Further reading

• “ratel”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “ratel”, in Dicionário Infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “ratel”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “ratel”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /raˈtel/ [raˈt̪el]
• Rhymes: -el
• Syllabification: ra‧tel

Noun

ratel m (plural rateles)

1. honey badger

   Synonym: tejón de miel

Further reading

• Seco, Manuel; Andrés, Olimpia; Ramos, Gabino (2023), “ratel”, in Diccionario del español actual [Dictionary of Current Spanish] (in Spanish), third digital edition, Fundación BBVA