Meanings
plural black rats
- A common species of rat, Rattus rattus, originating anciently in Asia but now distributed worldwide.
1 more example
The black rat spread wherever they settled, and so tied was it to Roman habitats that it became extinct in Britain following the Roman withdrawal, only to reappear in Norman times. Thereafter the black rat prospered - until the arrival of the larger brown rat (also known as the sewer rat or Norway rat), which reached Britain at about the time of the Hanoverian succession in the eighteenth century.
2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 272Synonyms: Asian black rat, house rat, roof rat, ship rat
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA common species of rat, Rattus rattus, originating anciently in Asia but now distributed worldwide.
More synonyms by meaning
nouncommon household pest originally from Asia that has spread worldwide
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 屋頂鼠 /屋顶鼠, 黑鼠
- 屋頂鼠 /屋顶鼠 (wūdǐngshǔ)Rattus rattus
- 黑鼠 (hēishǔ)Rattus rattus
Danish sort rotte
- sort rotteRattus rattus
Dutch zwarte rat
- zwarte ratRattus rattus
Estonian rott
- rottRattus rattus
Finnish mustarotta
- mustarottaRattus rattus
French rat noir
- rat noirRattus rattus
Greek μαυροποντικός
- μαυροποντικός (mavropontikós)Rattus rattus
Hungarian házi patkány
- házi patkányRattus rattus
Italian ratto nero
- ratto neroRattus rattus
Korean 애급쥐
- 애급쥐 (aegeupjwi)Rattus rattus
Polish szczur śniady
- szczur śniadyRattus rattus
Romanian șobolan negru, șobolan de casă
- șobolan negruRattus rattus
- șobolan de casăRattus rattus
Russian чёрная кры́са
- чёрная кры́са (čórnaja krýsa)Rattus rattus
Spanish rata de campo, rata negra
- rata de campoRattus rattus
- rata negraRattus rattus
Swedish svartråtta
- svartråttaRattus rattus
Tagalog dagang-bahay
- dagang-bahayRattus rattus
Turkish kara sıçan
- kara sıçanRattus rattus
Cite this entry
black rat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20rat
“black rat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20rat. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “black rat,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20rat.
Source: black rat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.