411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Norway rat
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Etymology
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.
Noun
The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus species).
Synonyms
en Norwegian rat
en sewer rat
en Murids