regatta

[ ri-gat-uh, -gah-tuh ]

noun
  1. a boat race, as of rowboats, yachts, or other vessels.

  2. an organized series of such races.

  1. (originally) a gondola race in Venice.

  2. a strong, striped cotton fabric that is of twill weave.

Origin of regatta

1
1645–55; <Upper Italian (Venetian ) regatta, regata, perhaps ≪ Vulgar Latin *recaptāre to contend, equivalent to *re-re- + *captāre to try to seize; see catch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use regatta in a sentence

  • The first and second regattas introduced races for boats or yachts of 25 feet and 30 feet on the load water-line.

    Yachting Vol. 2 | Various.
  • The races at these regattas have been mostly handicaps, and two or three are always open to yachts in cruising trim.

    Yachting Vol. 2 | Various.
  • The fact is there are so many regattas now that the tendency is to concentration, and consequently outlying stations suffer.

    Yachting Vol. 2 | Various.
  • As many as six of these little vessels made the Clyde their headquarters and sailed at the regattas.

    Yachting Vol. 2 | Various.
  • There are two boating clubs in existence which provide regattas for the encouragement of sailing.

    Yachting Vol. 2 | Various.

British Dictionary definitions for regatta

regatta

/ (rɪˈɡætə) /


noun
  1. an organized series of races of yachts, rowing boats, etc

Origin of regatta

1
C17: from obsolete Italian (Venetian dialect) rigatta contest, of obscure origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012