Meanings
plural Norwegian rats
- The brown rat.
Synonyms: Norway rat, sewer rat
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe brown rat.
Origin
The common name was popularised (and perhaps coined) by English naturalist John Berkenhout, in his Outlines of the Natural History of Great Britain (1769). Berkenhout believed the species migrated to England from Norwegian ships in 1728; he is also responsible for the scientific name.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Norwegian rat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Norwegian%20rat
“Norwegian rat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Norwegian%20rat. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Norwegian rat,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Norwegian%20rat.
Source: Norwegian rat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.