"remains of food left from a meal, a table scrap," mid-15c. (from c. 1300 in Anglo-Latin), originally of animal food, but not common until late 16c.; probably cognate with early Dutch ooraete, Low German ort, from or-, privative prefix, + etan "to eat" (from PIE root *ed- "to eat"). Perhaps from an unrecorded Old English word.
