yacht

Where does the word "yacht" come from? It comes from Dutch jacht, and was adopted directly into English (1500s-1600s).

Yacht’s story begins in Dutch: jacht meant “a hunting ship.” Short for "jachtschip", a fast hunting or pursuit ship. It reached English by 1500s-1600s as yacht. Dutch 'jacht', hunting ship; the Dutch gave Charles II a yacht in 1660, starting English yachting. Today, yacht means a medium-sized sailing or power boat used for pleasure cruising or racing.

1. Stage 1 · Dutch · medieval jacht "a hunting ship", short for "jachtschip", a fast hunting or pursuit ship.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1500s-1600s yacht "a light, fast sailing or pleasure boat", Dutch 'jacht', hunting ship; the Dutch gave Charles II a yacht in 1660, starting English yachting.