ketchup

Where does the word "ketchup" come from? It comes from Hokkien Chinese kê-tsiap, passing through Malay and English before entering English (c. 1800s).

Ketchup’s story begins in Hokkien Chinese: kê-tsiap meant “pickled fish sauce.” A fermented fish brine sauce from coastal Fujian. By c. 1700s, the word had taken hold in Malay as kicap. Traders carried the sauce and word through Southeast Asian ports. From there it passed into English as ketchup by c. 1700s. British sailors adapted it into various mushroom and walnut sauces. It reached English by c. 1800s as ketchup. Settled into its modern tomato-based form in the United States. Today, ketchup means a sweet and tangy tomato-based condiment.

1. Stage 1 · Hokkien Chinese · c. 1600s-1700s kê-tsiap "pickled fish sauce", a fermented fish brine sauce from coastal Fujian.
2. Stage 2 · Malay · c. 1700s kicap "fish sauce", traders carried the sauce and word through Southeast Asian ports.
3. Stage 3 · English · c. 1700s ketchup "a spiced savory sauce", British sailors adapted it into various mushroom and walnut sauces.
4. Stage 4 · American English · c. 1800s ketchup "a tomato-based condiment", settled into its modern tomato-based form in the United States.