Rather
Old English hrathor ‘earlier, sooner’, comparative of hræthe ‘without delay’, from hræth ‘prompt’ (see rathe).
wiktionary
From Middle English rather, rether, from Old English hraþor(“sooner, earlier, more quickly”), comparative of hraþe(“hastily, quickly, promptly, readily, immediately, soon, at once, directly”), equivalent to rathe + -er. More at rathe. Cognate with Dutch radder(“faster”), comparative of Dutch rad(“fast; quick”), German Low German radd, ratt(“rashly; quickly; hastily”), German gerade(“even; straight; direct”).
etymonline
rather (adv.)
Middle English rather, from Old English hraþor "more quickly; earlier, sooner," also "more readily or willingly," comparative of rathe (Old English hraþe, hræþe) "immediately, quickly, hastily, speedily; promptly, before long; readily," which is related to hræð "quick, nimble, prompt, ready," from Proto-Germanic *khratha- (source also of Old Norse hraðr, Old High German hrad), which is said to be from PIE *kret- "to shake."
The rather lambes bene starved with cold
[Spenser, "The Shepheardes Calender" (Februarie), 1579]
Meaning "on the contrary, in contrast to what just has been said" is from late 13c.; that of "more properly, more truly" is recorded from late 14c. Meaning "preferably" is from c. 1300. Sense of "to some extent, in a greater degree" is from 1590s, that of "somewhat, moderately" is by 1660s.
The adverb rathe was obsolete by 18c. except in poetry (Tennyson); the superlative rathest "earliest, soonest, first" fell from use by 17c. Middle English formed an alternative superlative ratherest (c. 1400) and also had rathely "quickly, swiftly; immediately" (early 14c.) and a noun rather "the former (persons)."
