catamaran

American  

[kat-uh-muh-ran, kat-uh-muh-ran] / ˌkæt ə məˈræn, ˈkæt ə məˌræn /

noun

catamarans plural

1. a vessel, usually propelled by sail, formed of two hulls or floats held side by side by a frame above them.

2. a float or sailing raft formed of a number of logs lashed together, used in certain parts of India, South America, etc.

3. Canadian Dialect. a wooden sled.

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catamaran British  

/ ˌkætəməˈræn /

noun

1. a sailing, or sometimes motored, vessel with twin hulls held parallel by a rigid framework

2. a primitive raft made of logs lashed together

3. old-fashioned a quarrelsome woman

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• catamarans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of catamaran

First recorded in 1670–80; from Tamil kaṭṭa-maram “tied wood”

Explanation

A catamaran is a type of sailboat with two hulls that are parallel to each other and are joined by the deck. A catamaran's distinguishing feature is its two-part structure. It has two hulls that are side by side, linked by a single deck. Catamaran is one of a few English words that come from Tamil, and it was originally a simple boat with two hulls made from tied tree trunks. Now it can be a much fancier sailboat such as a yacht.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catamaran catamarans

Most regular guests arrive by the lengthy winding mountain road, or by catamaran from Lucerne followed by a spectacular funicular railway, 929 metres long and rising 434 metres.

From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026

Most regular guests arrive by the lengthy winding mountain road, or by catamaran from Lucerne followed by a funicular railway, 929 metres long and rising 434 metres.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

They bought a $365,000 catamaran that became a remote office and their home in the Bahamas and Central America.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

The enthusiasm was apparent as the catamaran bobbed around the future site of Pier Wind, which recently received a $20-million grant from the California Energy Commission.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026

Beyond them, a catamaran and some parasailing boats bob in the distance, anchored and bright like candies.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

He once dredged up 17 rings in a single day by sweeping the ocean bottom in a spot where tourists, well into their tequila sunrises, routinely launch themselves off catamarans, their fingers slick with sunscreen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

An alternative option would be to consider catamarans, which are far more fuel-efficient than single-hulled ships.

From BBC ● Dec. 30, 2024

Her fleet of three catamarans and 60 employees shuttle up to 400 tourists a day to Channel Islands National Park, which includes five of the six islands.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2023

Today, he lives in Bothell and designs multihulled boats — catamarans and trimarans — on Seattle’s Lake Union.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2023

“I mean such as Malay proas, catamarans, Arab dhows, Chinese sanpans, Japanese pilot boats, Turkish caiques, Esquimaux kiacks, Alaskan war canoes, the hooded boats of the Swiss Lakes, and so on.”

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• raft
• sailboat