/ɹeɪð/
OriginFrom Middle English rathe, from Old English hraþe, from Proto-West Germanic *hraþō, *hradō (“quickly”), from *hraþ, *hrad (“quick”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kret- (“quick; to move quickly”). Cognate with German Low German radd, ratt (“rashly; quickly; hastily”), and German gerade (“now, just, exactly”); compare Dutch rad (“quick, swift”), Norwegian rad (“quick, direct”), Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌸𐌹𐌶𐌰 (raþiza, “easier”).
- poeticRipening or blooming early.
“Bring the rathe primrose that forsaken dies.”
“Thy converse drew us with delight,
The men of rathe and riper years:
The feeble soul, a haunt of fears,
Forgot his weakness in thy sight.”
- obsoleteQuickly.
- poeticEarly in the morning.
Formsrather(comparative) · rathest(superlative) · rath(alternative) · Rathes(plural)