entry
rather
/ˈɹæðɚ/more, sooner, or in preference
From O.English rathe (quick).
from PIE *kret- "to shake." The rather lambes bene starved with cold [Spenser, "The Shepheardes Calender" (Februarie),...
from Proto-Germanic *khratha- (source also of Old Norse hraðr , Old High German hrad ), which is said to be
from Old English hraþor "more quickly; earlier, sooner," also "more readily or willingly," comparative of rathe (Old...
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English rather
Word Ancestry
from PIE *kret- "to shake." The rather lambes bene starved with cold [Spenser, "The Shepheardes Calender" (Februarie),...
from Proto-Germanic *khratha- (source also of Old Norse hraðr , Old High German hrad ), which is said to be
from Old English hraþor "more quickly; earlier, sooner," also "more readily or willingly," comparative of rathe (Old...
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English rather
Before "rather" became the polite little word in "I’d rather not," it was basically a speed demon. Old English hraþe and hraþor meant something like "quickly" or "sooner," and you can still hear that old rush in the word if you squint. The same Germanic family turns up in Dutch rad, Low German ratt, and even German gerade, a reminder that a word for swiftness can end up meaning "straight" or "just now" depending on where the language takes the turn. By the late 1200s, English had already stretched it into the sense of preference and contrast, so a word born in haste wound up becoming one of our favorite tools for hesitation. That is a very English trick: take a word that once ran, seat it at the table, and make it choose between the soup and the salad.
The Story
Before "rather" became the polite little word in "I’d rather not," it was basically a speed demon. Old English hraþe and hraþor meant something like "quickly" or "sooner," and you can still hear that old rush in the word if you squint. The same Germanic family turns up in Dutch rad, Low German ratt, and even German gerade, a reminder that a word for swiftness can end up meaning "straight" or "just now" depending on where the language takes the turn. By the late 1200s, English had already stretched it into the sense of preference and contrast, so a word born in haste wound up becoming one of our favorite tools for hesitation. That is a very English trick: take a word that once ran, seat it at the table, and make it choose between the soup and the salad.
Kin & Kindred
From 'rathe'·quick, soon, early, readily
Derived Terms
English words from this root