brat
UK[bræt]US[bræt]
n
A child, especially one who behaves badly in an annoying way.
Etymology
The word 'brat' first appeared in English in the early 16th century, originally meaning 'ragged garment' or 'child's apron'. This sense likely derived from Old English or Celtic words for cloth or cloak, such as the Old Irish 'brat' meaning 'mantle'. By the mid-16th century, the term had transferred to mean 'child', initially often in a neutral or pitying context referring to a child in ragged clothes. Over time, the association with raggedness and low social status evolved into the modern, exclusively pejorative meaning of a badly behaved, spoiled, or unruly child, completing a journey from an object of clothing to a character judgment.
Analysis
The word 'brat' is a simplex word of uncertain origin, likely entering English from regional dialects. It is not productively formed from smaller, meaningful morphemes in modern English.
Examples
That spoiled brat threw a tantrum in the supermarket because his mother wouldn't buy him candy.
In the old story, the prince disguised himself as a common brat to learn about life in the kingdom.
She warned her kids not to act like brats at their grandmother's house.