ratoun

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Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman ratoun; equivalent to ratte +‎ -oun.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /raˈtuːn/, /ˈratun/

Noun

ratoun (plural ratouns)

  1. rat
    Synonym: ratte
    • c. 1390, William Langland, Piers Plowman, Prologue:
      Wiþ þat ran þere a route · of ratones at ones / And smale mys with hem · mo þen a þousande
      With that a rout of rats ran at once, / and small mice with them; more than a thousand.

Derived terms

Descendants

  • English: ratton (dialectal)
  • Scots: ratton

References

Old French

Noun

ratoun oblique singular, m (oblique plural ratouns, nominative singular ratouns, nominative plural ratoun)

  1. rat or baby rat

Usage notes

  • The Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub lists the meaning as 'rat' (with one citation) while the Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle lists the meaning as 'baby rat' (also with one citation). See references below.

Descendants

References

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia