*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of botch

From Middle English bocchen (“to mend”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old English bōtettan (“to improve; cure; remedy; repair”), related to boot, or from Middle Dutch botsen, butsen, boetsen (“to repair; patch”), r

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

An action, job, or task that has been performed very badly; a ruined, defective, or clumsy piece of work. · A patch put on, or a part of a garment patched or mended in a clumsy manner. · A mistake that is very stupid or embarrassing. · A messy, disorderly or confusing combination; a conglomeration; hodgepodge.

verb

To perform (a task) in an incompetent or unacceptable manner; to make a mess of something. · To do (something) without care or skill, or clumsily. · To mend or repair (something) clumsily.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English bocchen (“to mend”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old English bōtettan (“to improve; cure; remedy; repair”), related to boot, or from Middle Dutch botsen, butsen, boetsen (“to repair; patch”), related to beat. Doublet of bodge.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "bocchen",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to mend"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English bocchen (“to mend”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "bōtettan",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to improve; cure; remedy; repair"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English bōtettan (“to improve; cure; remedy; repair”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dum",
        "3": "botsen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch botsen"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bodge"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of bodge"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "bocchen",
      "bocchen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "bōtettan",
      "botettan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "boot",
      "boot#English"
    ],
    [
      "botsen",
      "botsen#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "butsen",
      "butsen#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "boetsen",
      "boetsen#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "beat",
      "beat#English"
    ],
    [
      "bodge",
      "bodge#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An action, job, or task that has been performed very badly; a ruined, defective, or clumsy piece of work.",
        "A patch put on, or a part of a garment patched or mended in a clumsy manner.",
        "A mistake that is very stupid or embarrassing.",
        "A messy, disorderly or confusing combination; a conglomeration; hodgepodge."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
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    },
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        "To perform (a task) in an incompetent or unacceptable manner; to make a mess of something.",
        "To do (something) without care or skill, or clumsily.",
        "To mend or repair (something) clumsily."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 285456
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A tumour or other malignant swelling. · A case or outbreak of boils or sores.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English botche, from Anglo-Norman boche, from Late Latin bocia (“boss”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionbotcheenm
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "botche"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English botche"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "boche"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman boche"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "bocia",
        "4": "",
        "5": "boss"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin bocia (“boss”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "botche",
      "botche#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "boche",
      "boche#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "bocia",
      "bocia#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A tumour or other malignant swelling.",
        "A case or outbreak of boils or sores."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "transitive"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for botch →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Ym90Y2g