ratto

Unknown, possibly from Russian рад (rad, “glad”)

• IPA^(key): /ˈrɑtːo/, [ˈrɑt̪ːo̞]
• Rhymes: -ɑtːo
• Syllabification^(key): rat‧to

ratto

1. pleasure, fun, enjoyment, amusement

• Rotta, ortta, ratot, rotat, rotta, torat

ratto (plural rattos)

1. rat

• IPA^(key): /ˈrat.to/
• Rhymes: -atto
• Hyphenation: ràt‧to

Inherited from Latin rapidus (“quick”). Doublet of rapido, which was borrowed.

ratto (feminine ratta, masculine plural ratti, feminine plural ratte)

1. (obsolete) quick, swift, rapid

   Synonyms: celere, rapido, scattante, veloce

   Antonym: lento

   • 1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Purgatorio [The Divine Comedy: Purgatory] (paperback), Bompiani, published 2001, Canto XVIII, lines 103–105, page 271:

     «Ratto, ratto, che 'l tempo non si perda ¶ per poco amor» gridavan li altri appresso, ¶ «che studio di ben far grazia rinverda».

     "Quick, quick, so that the time may not be lost by little love!" forthwith the others cried, "for ardour in well-doing freshens grace."

2. (obsolete) steep, downward, brant

   Synonyms: (literary) acclive, (literary) precipite, ripido, scosceso

   Antonyms: pianeggiante, piano, piatto

   • 1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Purgatorio [The Divine Comedy: Purgatory] (paperback), Bompiani, published 2001, Canto XII, lines 106–108, page 184:

     […] così s'allenta la ripa che cade ¶ quivi ben ratta da l'altro girone; ¶ ma quinci e quindi l'alta pietra rade.

     e'en thus attempered is the bank which falls sheer downward from the second circle there; but on this side and that the high rock graze.

• rattamente
• rattezza

ratto (obsolete)

1. quickly, swiftly

   Synonyms: celermente, rapidamente, velocemente

   • 1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Inferno [The Divine Comedy: Hell] (paperback), 12th edition, Le Monnier, published 1994, Canto V, lines 103–105, page 80:

     Amor, ch'al cor gentil ratto s'apprende, ¶ prese costui de la bella persona ¶ che mi fu tolta; e 'l modo ancor m'offende.

     Love, that swiftly clings on to the gentle heart, seized this man for the beautiful person that was taken from me, and the mode still offends me.

2. (followed by che) as soon as

   Synonym: appena

   • 1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Inferno [The Divine Comedy: Hell] (paperback), 12th edition, Le Monnier, published 1994, Canto II, lines 109–111, page 29:

     Ma quell'anime, ch'eran lasse e nude, ¶ cangiar colore e dibattero i denti, ¶ ratto che 'nteser le parole crude.

     But those souls, who were weary and naked, changed their colour/color and gnashed their teeth together, as soon as they heard the cruel words.

From Latin raptus.

ratto (feminine ratta, masculine plural ratti, feminine plural ratte)

1. (archaic) having been abducted or kidnapped

ratto m (plural ratti)

1. (literary, specifically referring to classical antiquity) abduction
   • 2007, Andrea Celestino Montanaro, Ruvo di Puglia e il suo territorio: le necropoli : i corredi funerari tra la documentazione del XIX secolo e gli scavi moderni, L'Erma di Bretschneider (1st ed.), →ISBN, page 60.

     (...) di una grande loutrophoros decorata con scene di amazzonomachia e scene di ispirazione dionisiaca, di una lekythos con Eracle nel giardino dell Esperidi e di una situla con la raffigurazione dell'uccisione di Reso e il ratto dei suoi cavalli, mentre degli altri vasi viene data una descrizione sommaria.

     (...) of a large loutrophoros depicting scenes of amazonomachia and scenes of dionysiac inspiration, of a lekythos depicting Hercules in the garden of the Hesperides and of a situla with a representation of Rhesus' murder and the abduction of his horses, while the other ones are only summarily described.

• Nowadays the word ratto, when related to a kidnapping, is only used regarding the abduction of helpless female figures in classical literature (the most common one is il ratto delle Sabine, The Rape of the Sabine Women); otherwise it sounds rather antique, if not weird, to a native speaker. For a common, neutral term for kidnapping, see rapimento.

From Vulgar Latin rattus (“rat”), from Proto-Germanic *rattaz.

ratto m (plural ratti)

1. rat
   • 2016, Andrea Giardina, Giovanni Sabbatucci & Vittorio Vidotto, Storia più: Società Economia Tecnologia, vol. 1 Dal Mille al Seicento, Laterza, →ISBN.

     Prima di essere una malattia degli uomini la peste è una malattia dei ratti.

     The plague is an illness of rats first, and an illness of men second.

2. ratton

• sorcio (rat or mouse)
• topo (rat or mouse)

• rotta, torta, trota

rattō

1. dative/ablative singular of rattus

ratto m (plural rattos, feminine ratta, feminine plural rattas)

1. Obsolete spelling of rato