regatta
Americannoun
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a boat race, as of rowboats, yachts, or other vessels.
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an organized series of such races.
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(originally) a gondola race in Venice.
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a strong, striped cotton fabric that is of twill weave.
noun
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.
Vocabulary lists containing regatta
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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The Boys in the Boat
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2014 Vocabulary Video Contest (M-Z)
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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.
Lost Bay is a one day, single race regatta for mono-hull sailboats of at least twenty feet with both spinnaker and non-spinnaker divisions.
From Salon • Oct. 10, 2024
The regatta was last held in 2019, when 46 hot-air balloons launched from Battersea Park at 05:30 BST and floated through the skies across central London.
From BBC • Jul. 21, 2024
“On April 20th, at a youth rowing regatta, an incident occurred that is currently being investigated by West Sacramento PD,” the statement reads in part.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2024
It was so hot out when 14-year-old Adi Vannice arrived for a sailing regatta at Leschi Marina Saturday morning that she decided to forgo the wet suit she usually wore.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2024
Since the regatta and the grand opening of the OldMill, the marina almost never has canoes sitting empty, and there hasn’t been a night that the OldMill hasn’t been packed.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
