Etymology

rate

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Today it means: The worth of something; value. Full definition →

First used 15th–19th centuriesMiddle English rate ← Old French rate ← Medieval Latin rata
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rate · noun, verb1

  1. Latin · derived fromprō ratā parte“according to a fixed part”
  2. Medieval Latin · derived fromrata
  3. Old French · derived fromrate
  4. Middle English · inherited fromrate
  5. English todayrate

From Middle English rate, from Old French rate, from Medieval Latin rata, from Latin prō ratā parte (“according to a fixed part”), from ratus (“fixed”), from rērī (“think, deem, judge, estimate", originally "reckon, calculate”).

rate · verb2

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*krad-“to swing”
  2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*hratōną“to sway, shake”
  3. Old Norse · derived fromhrata“to refuse, reject, slight, find fault with”
  4. Middle English · derived fromraten“to scold, chide”
  5. English todayrate

From Middle English raten (“to scold, chide”), from Old Norse hrata (“to refuse, reject, slight, find fault with”), from Proto-Germanic *hratōną (“to sway, shake”), from Proto-Indo-European *krad- (“to swing”). Cognate with Swedish rata (“to reject, refuse, find fault, slight”), Norwegian rata (“to reject, cast aside”), Old English hratian (“to rush, hasten”).

rate · verb3

Related to, or a variant of, ret. (Found dialectally also as rait.)

First known use, by meaning

  • 15th–19th centuries The worth of something; value.
  • from 15th c. The proportional relationship between one amount, value etc. and another.
  • from 17th c. Speed.
  • from 18th c. The relative speed of change or progress.
  • from 16th c. The price of (an individual) thing; cost.
  • from 16th c. A set price or charge for all examples of a given case, commodity, service etc.
  • from 17th c. Any of various taxes, especially those levied by a local authority.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.