ketchup
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ketchup
- /ˈkɛt͡ʃ.əp/
- /-ʌp/
- /ˈkɛt͡ʃ.ʊp/ Northern England
Sounds like catch-up (one pronunciation)
Where it comes from
Uncertain, but probably ultimately from Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap, “fish sauce”, literally “pickled fish juice”), via Malay kecap /kicap (“any dark clear sauce from soybeans, fish, etc.”), though the precise path is unclear – there are related words in various Chinese languages. Various other theories exist – see Ketchup: Etymology for extended discussion.
First appeared in English in the late 17th century in reference to a Southeast Asian sauce encountered by British traders and sailors. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that it was commonly used in the 18th century to refer to a variety of similar sauces with varying ingredients—"anchovies, mushrooms, walnuts, and oysters being particularly popular"—but by the late 19th century the current tomato ketchup became the most popular form.
Catsup (earlier catchup) is an alternative Anglicization, still in use in the U.S., though it is now somewhat rare.
noun ketchups · catchup · catsup · katsup · katjap · kechap
-
Ellipsis of tomato ketchup (“a tomato-vinegar-based sauce, sometimes containing spices, onion or garlic, and (especially in the US) sweeteners”).
tomato ketchup
Similar: tomato catsup
- Such a sauce more generally (not necessarily based on tomatoes, but with mushrooms, fish, etc.). This is the older meaning. The bottles, however, were port bottles, but contained mushroom ketchup; […]
verb ketchups · ketchupping · ketchupped · catchup · catsup
- To cover with ketchup. It strikes me she's "ketchupped" the lot! I won't touch a morsel!
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: catsup, cetchup, tomato ketchup, sauce, mushroom, kechap, katjap, katsup, ketsup, catchup, tomato sauce, wow-wow sauce, saucing, tartar sauce, caper sauce, curry ketchup
Translations
Every language
noun tomato-vinegar based sauce
| Español | kétchup, ketchup, cátsup, képchup, salsa de tomate |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 케첩 kecheop |
| 日本語 | ケチャップ kechappu |
| 中文 | 番茄醬 /番茄酱 fānqiéjiàng, 茄汁 qiézhī |
| हिन्दी | केचप kecap |
| Português | ketchup |
| Français | ketchup |
| Deutsch | Ketchup |
| Italiano | ketchup, salsa rubra, tomato |
| Ελληνικά | κέτσαπ kétsap |
| Русский | ке́тчуп kétčup, тома́тный со́ус tomátnyj sóus |
| Tiếng Việt | nước xốt cà chua, tương cà |
| العربية | عَصِير الْبَنْدُورَة ʕaṣīr al-bandūra, كَتْشَب katšab |
| עברית | מִתְבָּל mitbal, קֶטְשׁוֹפּ ketshop |
Talk about this word "ketchup." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ketchup. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ketchup. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ketchup "ketchup." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ketchup.Cite this
@misc{ketchup_2026,
title = {ketchup},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ketchup},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
