pack rat | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

115 entries found.

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.

crate (v.)

"to pack or put in a crate," 1871, from crate (n.). Related: Crated; crating.

package (v.)

"to bundle up into a pack or package," 1915, from package (n.). Related: Packaged; packaging.

Akela

name of the wolf-pack leader in Kipling's "Jungle Book" (1894), from Hindi, literally "solitary, lone."

corn-snake (n.)

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.).

unpack (v.)

late 15c., from un- (2) "reverse, opposite of" + pack (v.). Similar formation in Dutch ontpakken. Related: Unpacked; unpacking.

Rathaus (n.)

German town hall, 1610s, from German Rathaus, literally "council house," from Rat "council" (from Proto-Germanic *redaz, from suffixed form of PIE root *re- "to reason, count") + Haus "house" (see house (n.)).

compact (v.1)

"to pack or press closely together," early 15c., from Latin compactus, past participle of compingere "to fasten together" (see compact (adj.)). Related: Compacted; compacting.

stevedore (n.)

1828, earlier stowadore (1788), from Spanish estibador "one who loads cargo, wool-packer," agent noun from estibar "to stow cargo," from Latin stipare "pack down, press" (see stiff (adj.)).

truss (v.)

c. 1200, "to load, load up," from Anglo-French trusser, Old French trusser, torser "to load, fill, pack, fasten" (11c.), from Old French trousse, torse (see truss (n.)). Related: Trussed; trussing.

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