ketch

[kech]

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noun Nautical.

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.

Compare yawl¹(def 2).See also schooner(def 1), topsail schooner.

Origin of ketch

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ketch

yacht, skiff, craft, vessel, ship, catamaran, schooner, sloop, cutter, sailboat, racer, dinghy, canoe, barge, raft, gondola, clipper, galley, yawl, jack

Examples from the Web for ketch

Historical Examples of ketch

The most difficult part of the business had been old Ketch; but that was managed.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
Once more we must pay a visit to Mr. Ketch in his lodge, at his supper hour.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
This was one of them, and Ketch anticipated a glorious treat.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
Hold your tongue, old Ketch, or I'll call Mr. Harper down to you.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
The other masters lived at a distance, and Ketch's old legs were aching.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for ketch

ketch

noun

a two-masted sailing vessel, fore-and-aft rigged, with a tall mainmast and a mizzen stepped forward of the rudderpostCompare yawl 1 (def. 1)

Word Origin for ketch

C15 cache, probably from cacchen to hunt; see catch

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

Word Origin and History for ketch

kind of small sailing vessel, 1650s, earlier catch (mid-15c.), cache (late 14c.), probably from Middle English cacchen "to capture, ensnare, chase" (see catch). Cf. the sense development in yacht.