Ratter
/ˈrætər/noun
A person or animal that catches rats, or a person who betrays or informs on others.
Did you know?By the nineteenth century, rat became established English slang for an informer or someone who abandoned a workers’ strike, giving ratter a distinctly treacherous sense.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
rattus
“Rat; a word of uncertain, probably non-Indo-European origin”
12th Century
Old French
rat
“Rat or similar rodent”
13th Century
Middle English
ratte
“Rat; the animal later associated with filth, disease, and vermin”
16th–18th Centuries
English
rat
“To betray or desert, developing from the noun’s metaphorical use”
19th Century
English
ratter
“Someone who catches rats, or figuratively, an informer or strikebreaker”
Modern English
English
ratter
“A rat-catcher, betrayer, informer, or—informally—a person or animal skilled at locating rats”