catamaran
Americannoun
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a vessel, usually propelled by sail, formed of two hulls or floats held side by side by a frame above them.
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a float or sailing raft formed of a number of logs lashed together, used in certain parts of India, South America, etc.
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Canadian Dialect. a wooden sled.
noun
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a sailing, or sometimes motored, vessel with twin hulls held parallel by a rigid framework
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a primitive raft made of logs lashed together
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old-fashioned a quarrelsome woman
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing catamaran
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
The agent crept back to the catamaran stashed behind the rocks and paddled through rough surf to the far side of the island.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
