Etymograph

English

hood rat

From hood (“neighborhood”) + rat.

A compound of hood ‘neighborhood’ + rat

Proto-Germanic *hōdaz ‘shelter’

Proto-West Germanic *hōd

Old English hōd

Middle English hood ‘a hood as a symbol of rank’

English hood

Proto-Germanic *rattaz

Proto-West Germanic *ratt

Old English ræt

Middle English raat

English rat

The story

First use appears c. 1993 in the Philadelphia Tribune.

Today it means

noun A person, especially a man or a woman, from an urban neighborhood who overtly exhibits attributes associated with inner city life, especially in both behavior and appearance.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / hood rat