Etymology Dictionary

RATE (1),  a proportion, allowance, standard, price, tax.  (F.,—L.)   In Spenser, F. Q. iv. 8. 19.—O.F. rate, price, value (Roquefort); not in Cotgrave.—Lat. ratum, neut., or rata, fem. of ratus, determined, fixed, settled, pp. of reor, I think, judge, deem.   Both ratum and rata occur as sbs. in Low Latin.   β. The root appears to be RA, to fix, identical with ✔AR, to fit; see Art (2).   Der. rate, verb; rat-able, rat-abl-y, rat-able-ness, rate-payer.   And see ratio, ration, reason, rat-i-fy.

RATE (2),  to scold, chide.  (Scand.?)   In Shak. Merch. Ven. i. 3. 108.   Usually supposed to be a peculiar use of the word above, as though to rate meant to tax, and so to chide.   Observe the use of tax in the sense of 'to take to task.'   But, if this were so, we should expect to find rate, to value, in earlier use; whereas, on the contrary, the present word seems to be the older of the two, being found in the 14th century.   Palsgrave distinguishes between 'I rate one, I set one to his porcyon or stynte,' and 'I rate or chyde one."   M.E. raten, to chide; 'He shal be rated of his studying' = he shall be scolded for his studying, Chaucer, C. T. 3463.   Moreover, we find the compound verb araten, to reprove; see P. Plowman, B. xi. 98; 'rebuked and arated,' id. xiv. 163.—Swed. rata, to reject, refuse, slight, find fault with; whence ratgods, refuse of goods.   So also Norw. rata, to reject, cast aside as rubbish; rat, rubbish, rata, adj. bad (Aasen.)   Allied to Icel. hrat, hrati, rubbish, trash.   Of obscure origin.