ketch

[ kech ]

noun

, Nautical.

1. a sailing vessel rigged fore and aft on two masts, the larger, forward one being the mainmast and the after one, stepped forward of the rudderpost, being the mizzen or jigger.

ketch

/ kɛtʃ /

noun

1. a two-masted sailing vessel, fore-and-aft rigged, with a tall mainmast and a mizzen stepped forward of the rudderpost Compare yawl 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of ketch¹

1475–85; earlier cache, apparently noun use of cache to catch

Word History and Origins

Origin of ketch¹

C15 cache, probably from cacchen to hunt; see catch

Example Sentences

Pohlmann, who owns Today’s Ketch Seafood & Restaurant in Chalmette, said crawfish sales are 30% of what he normally sees.

From Seattle Times

And Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show led the crowd in the Christian hymn, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” which brought many to tears.

From Washington Times

They embraced one another and wiped away tears, some singing along as the musician Ketch Secor performed “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?”

From New York Times

Tuttle will spend much of this year on the road playing headlining shows and festivals including Bonnaroo and opening gigs for Old Crow Medicine Show, with whose Ketch Secor she’s in a romantic relationship.

From Los Angeles Times

A recent addition comes from Sam Keck Scott, who in the summer of 2010 helped to sail a restored Dutch ketch from Malta to Singapore, crossing the Arabian Sea.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• barge
• canoe
• catamaran
• craft
• dinghy
• gondola
• raft
• sailboat
• schooner
• ship
• yacht