Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/300

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‘stage of a journey,’ which is the only sense borne by Goth. rasta and OIc. rǫst. Comp. AS. rœst, E. rest, OSax. rasta, ręsta, ‘couch, deathbed,’ Du. rust (see Rüste), ‘rest, repose.’ The common Teut. word is based on a root ras, ‘to remain, dwell,’ which may also be inferred from Goth. razn and OIc. rann, ‘house.’ Rast, in the sense of ‘stage,’ comes from the period when the Western Aryans were migrating to Europe; only a wandering tribe could adopt the intervals of reposing and encamping as a measure of distances. Moreover, the older language preserves a few other words as relics of the migratory period; comp. MidHG. tageweide, f., ‘day's journey, the distance traversed in a day’ (prop. said of nomadic marches, ‘the length of pasture grazed by cattle in one day’); see Hanf. Whether the assumed root ras, ‘to remain, dwell,’ is connected with the root rô in Ruhe is doubtful.

Rat, m., ‘counsel, advice, deliberation, council,’ from MidHG. and OHG. rât (gen. râtes), m., ‘counsel, means at hand, store of provisions’; these meanings are still partly preserved by ModHG. Gerät, Vorrat, Hausrat, Unrat. A verbal abstract of ModHG. raten, MidHG. râten, OHG. râtan, ‘to advise’; comp. the equiv. Goth. rêdan, OIc. râða, AS. rœ̂dan (to which E. to read is akin?), OSax. râdan. Some etymologists have connected the common Teut. rêdan, ‘to advise,’ with Lat. reor, ‘to suppose’; in that case the dental of the Teut. verb is prop. only part of the pres. stem, which was afterwards joined to the root. Others with equal reason have referred to the Sans. root râdh, ‘to carry out a project, put to rights, obtain; to appease,’ and to Sans. raditi, ‘to feel solicitous, trouble oneself about.’ —

ratschlagen, vb., ‘to deliberate,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. râtslagen, the origin of which is obscure. See Rätsel.

Ratsche, f., ‘rattle, clapper,’ ModHG. only, allied to MidHG. ratzen, ‘to clatter’; see rasseln.

Rätsel, n., ‘riddle, perplexity,’ from the equiv. MidHG. râtsal, rœtsel, n., OHG. *râtisal, n.; comp. OLG. râdisli, MidLG. rêdelse, Du. raadsel, AS. rœ̂dels (for *rœ̂desl), m., whence the equiv. E. riddle, the s of the AS. word being regarded as a sign of the plur. The formation of the subst. from raten corresponds to that of Mühsal from mühen, of Labsal from laben, and of Trübsal from trüben. The notion ‘riddle’ was cur-

rent among the Teutons from early times; the Goth. term was frisahts; in OHG. we find tuncal, n., and râtussa, râtissa, f. ‘riddle.’

Ratte, f., from the equiv. MidHG. ratte, rate, f., rat, rate, m., OHG. rato, m., ratta, f., ‘rat’ (in MidHG. there also appears another variant ratz, ratze, m., whence Bav. and Swiss Ratze). It corresponds to OLG. ratta, f., Du. rat, rot, m., AS. rœtt (?), E. rat, Dan. rotte. Besides these are found the Rom. words Fr. rat, Ital. ratto, and also Gael. radan. The origin of all these cognates is unknown. The Rom. class has been derived from Lat. raptus, rapidus; in that case Ital. ratto, ‘quick, nimble,’ would be the primary meaning. The phonetic relations of the Teut. words are not sufficiently clear to pronounce a decided opinion (comp. Katze).

Raub, m., ‘robbery, spoil,’ from the equiv. MidHG. roup (gen. roubes), m., OHG. roub, m.; comp. OSax. rôf in nôdrôf. ‘violent wresting,’ Du. roof, m., ‘robbery,’ AS. reáf, n., ‘robbery, booty,’ allied to AS. reófan, ‘to break, rend,’ OIc. rjúfa, str. vb., ‘to break, rend’ (espec. used of a breach of contract); these are further connected with Lat. rumpo (Aryan root rup); comp. the Sans. root lup, ‘to shatter.’ Hence Raub seems to mean lit. ‘breach of contract.’? —

rauben, vb., ‘to rob, plunder,’ from MidHG. rouben, OHG. roubôn; OSax. rôbôn, AS. reáfian, whence E. to reave (the AS. subst. reáf has become obsolete in E.), Goth. biraubôn, ‘to plunder, despoil.’ The Teut. cognates passed with two distinct meanings into Rom.; comp. on the one hand Ital. ruba, ‘robbery,’ rubare, ‘to rob,’ Fr. dérober, ‘to steal,’ and on the other Ital. roba, ‘coat, dress,’ Fr. robe. The latter are connected with Raub, since by inference from OHG. roub and AS. reáf, ‘robbery, booty, armour, dress,’ the OTeut. word had probably acquired the meanings of ‘garments got by plundering, dress (generally).’ See also raufen.

Rauch, m., from the equiv. MidHG. rouch, OHG. rauh (hh), m., ‘smoke, steam’; corresponding to OSax. rôk, m., Du. rook, AS. rêc (from Goth. *rauki), m., E. reek, OIc. reykr, m., ‘smoke’; Goth. *rauks (rauki-) is by chance not recorded. The common Teut. is connected by gradation with the Teut. root rū̆k, ‘to smoke,’ See riechen.

rauch, adj., ‘rough, hairy’; equiv. to