Ratty
/ˈræt.i/noun
Shabby, untidy, worn-out, or resembling a rat.
Did you know?Rats became powerful symbols of corruption and plague in medieval Europe, although the English word itself has no proven occult origin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*rattō
“Rat; a reconstructed Germanic animal name of uncertain ultimate origin.”
Old English
Old English
ræt
“Rat; a rodent, probably borrowed or inherited within the Germanic word family.”
Middle English
Middle English
ratte
“Rat; the spelling reflects French and English medieval forms.”
12th–14th Century
English
rat
“A rat, increasingly associated in European culture with filth, destruction, and disease.”
19th Century
English
ratty
“Like a rat, or shabby and worn; formed from rat plus the adjective suffix -y.”
Modern English
English
ratty
“Untidy, shabby, worn-out, or rat-like.”