# Hanoverian rat

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. The brown rat, Rattus norvegicus.

## Etymology
The name was introduced by English naturalist Charles Waterton, a devout Catholic, as a slur on Protestant Hanoverians whose British rule began in 1714, shortly before the species first appeared in Britain.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hanoverian-rat