Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “botch” come from?

Botch comes from Middle English bocchen, from Anglo-Norman boche, from Latin bucca, originally meaning cheek or mouth.

botch (English): To perform in an unacceptable or incompetent...

Definitions

  1. To perform in an unacceptable or incompetent...

Ancestry of “botch”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbotettan—
2Old Englishbōthelp, relief, advantage, remedy; compensation for...
3Proto-Turkicbotu—
4Spanishvotovote; vow
5Latinvōtum—
6Latinvotusvowed, promised; devoted to ; having been vowed
7Latinvoverethird-person plural perfect active indicative of...
8LatinvoveoI vow, promise; I dedicate or devote to a deity;...
9Proto-ItalicwogʷeōI vow, promise; dedicate or devote to a deity; I...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁wegʷʰ-to promise, to vow; to praise

Words derived from “botch”

  • botcher
  • botchy
  • botchwork
  • botchery
  • botcherly
  • botchily
  • bôtchi
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁wegʷʰ- →