# ketchup

Pronunciation: say "KECH-uhp" /ˈkɛt͡ʃ.əp/

## Noun

1. Short for tomato ketchup: a thick, sweet and tangy sauce made from tomatoes and vinegar, used as a condiment. — Ellipsis of tomato ketchup (“a tomato-vinegar-based sauce, sometimes containing spices, onion or garlic, and (especially in the US) sweeteners”).
   - Simple: Short for tomato ketchup: a thick red tomato sauce, often eaten on fries and burgers.
   - _She squeezed ketchup over her burger and reached for the napkins._
   - _Most diners here keep ketchup on every table next to the salt._
2. A seasoned, vinegar-based sauce made from ingredients such as mushrooms, fish, or walnuts rather than tomatoes.
   - Simple: A spiced, vinegar-based sauce made from things like mushrooms, fish, or walnuts instead of tomatoes.
   - _The recipe called for a spoonful of mushroom ketchup to deepen the gravy._
   - _Sailors valued fish ketchup because it kept well on long voyages._

## Verb

3. To cover or coat something with ketchup.
   - Simple: To cover food with ketchup.
   - _She ketchupped the hot dogs generously before serving them._
   - _Kids tend to ketchup everything on their plates without thinking._

## Origin

The origin is uncertain, but the word probably comes ultimately from Hokkien kê-chiap ("fish sauce"), reaching English through Malay kicap, though the exact path is unclear. It is related to Malay kicap and Indonesian kecap ("soy sauce") and first appeared in English in the late 17th century, referring to a Southeast Asian sauce that British traders and sailors encountered; the U.S. spelling "catsup" is an alternative Anglicization.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ketchup (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).