regatta

American  

[ri-gat-uh, -gah-tuh] / rɪˈgæt ə, -ˈgɑ tə /

noun

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

2. an organized series of such races.

3. (originally) a gondola race in Venice.

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

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regatta British  

/ rɪˈɡætə /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of regatta

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

Explanation

A regatta is an organized series of boat races. In a regatta, yachts or sailboats usually participate, but some regattas focus on rowboats or powerboats. In the 1650s, regatta related to a boat race among gondoliers, held on the Grand Canal in Venice. The Italian word regatta means "contention for mastery" and comes from the Latin word regattare, or "to compete, haggle, sell at retail." Regatta came to specifically mean "boat race" — and the many social events related to it — in the late 1700s.

Example Sentences

Regatta Cream Pie is a version of a rum cream pie with a crisp chocolate cookie crumb crust.

From Salon • Oct. 10, 2024

Lost Bay Regatta is a local, multi-class sailing regatta held the first Saturday in October on Perdido Bay, the dividing line between Alabama and Florida.

From Salon • Oct. 10, 2024

Ms Clarke was last seen wearing a blue Regatta coat with a poppy badge and black Skechers trainers.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2024

But things came to a head last summer when she sustained her most serious injury yet while racing at Henley Royal Regatta, snapping her rib in two.

From BBC • Nov. 16, 2023

As Joe and his crewmates paddled the City of Seattle from their boathouse out onto the river, they got their first good look at the spectacle of a Poughkeepsie Regatta.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown