1789, a corruption of Telugu pandi-kokku, literally "pig-rat." Properly the Anglo-Indian name of a large and destructive type of Indian rat; applied from 1827 to a type of insectivorous Australian marsupial somewhat resembling it.

1900, from German ratskeller, earlier rathskeller, "a cellar in a German town hall in which beer is sold," from rat "council" (from Proto-Germanic *redaz, from suffixed form of PIE root *re- "to reason, count") + keller "cellar" (see cellar (n.)). The German -h- inserted to avoid association with the word for "rat."

expressing incredulity, disappointment, annoyance, etc., 1886, American English, from rat (n.).

"resembling a mouse or rat," c. 1600, from Latin murinus "of a mouse," from mus "mouse" (see mouse (n.)).

masc. proper name, from Old High German Kuonrat, literally "bold in counsel," from kuon "bold" + rat "counsel" (see read (v.)).

"relating, pertaining to, or characteristic of an ethnic race or race generally," 1862, from race (n.2) + -ial. "A word of considerable frequency in the 20th century" [OED]. Related: Racially.

1828, "artificial passage for water flowing from a fall or dam," from race (n.3) + way (n.). Meaning "automobile race course" is by 1936, from race (n.1).

also musk-rat, "large aquatic rodent of North America," 1610s, alteration (by association with musk and rat) of an Algonquian word (probably Powhatan), muscascus, literally "it is red," so called for its coloring. From cognate Abenaki moskwas comes variant form musquash (1620s). Dialectal mushrat is by 1890.

popular name of a type of large but harmless rat-snake of the southeastern and central U.S., often found in cornfields, 1670s, from corn (n.1) + snake (n.).

also moon race, "national rivalry to be first to send humans to the moon," 1963, from moon (n.) + race (n.1).