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regatta

 - 3 dictionary results

re⋅gat⋅ta

  [ri-gat-uh, -gah-tuh]
Use regatta in a Sentence
–noun
1. a boat race, as of rowboats, yachts, or other vessels.
2. an organized series of such races.
3. (originally) a gondola race in Venice.
4. a strong, striped cotton fabric that is of twill weave.
Origin:
1645–55; < Upper It (Venetian) regatta, regata, perh. ≪ VL *recaptāre to contend, equiv. to *re- re- + *captāre to try to seize; see catch
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To regatta
re·gat·ta   (rĭ-gä'tə, -gāt'ə)   
n.  A boat race or a series of boat races.

[Italian dialectal, a contention, regatta, from regattare, to contend, perhaps from recatare, to sell again, compete, from Vulgar Latin *recaptāre, to contend : Latin re-, re- + Latin captāre, to seek to catch, frequentative of capere, to seize; see catch.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

regatta 
1652, name of a boat race among gondoliers held on the Grand Canal in Venice, from It. (Venetian dialect) regatta, lit. "contention for mastery," from regattare "to compete, haggle, sell at retail," possibly from recatare. The general meaning of "boat race, yacht race" is usually considered to have begun with a race on the Thames by that name June 23, 1775 (cf. OED), but there is evidence that it was used as early as 1768.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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