Norway rat

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Norway rat

Where it comes from

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 Norway rats

The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus).
Similar: Norwegian rat, sewer rat

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MLA

"Norway rat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/norway%20rat. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

Norway rat. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/norway%20rat

Chicago

"Norway rat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/norway%20rat.

BibTeX

@misc{norway_rat_2026,
  title = {Norway rat},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/norway%20rat},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}