English
K-ration
Coined by the United States War Department in or about 1942, from K + ration.
Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- ‘to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot’
Latin reor ‘to compute’
Latin ratiō ‘reason, reasoning, explanation, ground,…’
French ration
English ration
The story
Coined by the United States War Department in or about 1942, from K + ration. The letter K is arbitrary, chosen to distinguish the name from earlier C ration and D ration.
Today it means
noun An individual daily combat food ration introduced by the United States Army during World War II and comprising three courses for breakfast, lunch and supper.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / K-ration