yacht

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A light, fast boat used for pleasure trips or racing.

   Would you like to go sailing on my uncle's yacht?

2. 2
   verb

   To sail or travel in a yacht.

   They spent the summer yachting around the Greek islands.

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Simplified etymology

Yacht was borrowed from Dutch in the mid-16th century. Its spelling reflects Dutch jaghtschip, literally “hunting ship,” which denoted a fast pirate ship.

Circa 1557; variant of yaught, earlier yeaghe (“light, fast-sailing ship”), from Dutch jacht (“yacht; hunt”), in older spelling jaght(e), short for jaghtschip (“light sailing vessel, fast pirate ship”, literally “pursuit ship”), compound of jacht and schip (“ship”). In the 16th century the Dutch built light, fast ships to chase the ships of pirates and smugglers from the coast. The ship was introduced to England in 1660 when the Dutch East India Company presented one to King Charles II, who used it as a pleasure boat, after which it was copied by British shipbuilders as a pleasure craft for we…

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