An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Raden

by Friedrich Kluge

Raden, masculine, ‘cockle-weed,’ from Middle High German râde, usually râte, ratte, râten, ratten, masculine, ‘a weed among corn,’ Old High German râto, ratto, masculine; so too Old Low German râda, feminine, ‘weed.’ In Franconian and Henneberg râdme occurs, in Swiss and Suabian ratte. Perhaps the numerous forms of this simply Middle European Teutonic word point to a primitively German râþwo- (primary form rêtwo-). cognate terms in the non-Teutonic languages have not yet been discovered.