yacht

Meanings

Noun

• A slick and light ship for making pleasure trips or racing on water, having sails but often motor-powered. At times used as a residence offshore on a dock.
• Any vessel used for private, noncommercial purposes.

Verb

• To sail, voyage, or race in a yacht.

Origin

• Circa 1557; variant of yaught, earlier yeaghe, from Dutch jacht, in older spelling jaghte, short for jaghtschip, compound of jacht and schip.
• 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 wealthy gentlemen.