regatta
pronunciation
How to pronounce regatta in British English:
UK [rɪˈgætə]
How to pronounce regatta in American English:
US [rɪˈɡɑtə, -ˈɡætə]
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- Noun:
- a meeting for boat races
Word Origin
- regatta
- regatta: [17] The word regatta originated in Italy, and at first denoted a gondola race on the Grand Canal in Venice. It appears to have been derived from a Venetian dialect verb rigattare ‘contend, fight’, of uncertain origin. The first record of its application to a boat race in England is in June 1775, when a ‘regatta’ was held on the Thames: the Public advertiser noted that ‘The Regatta will keep at home many of our Nobility and wealthy Commoners’, and Dr Johnson wrote to his friend Mrs Thrale on June 21 ‘I am glad you are to be at the regatta’.
- regatta (n.)
- 1650s, name of a boat race among gondoliers held on the Grand Canal in Venice, from Italian (Venetian dialect) regatta, literally "contention for mastery," from rigattare "to compete, haggle, sell at retail." [Klein's sources, however, suggest a source in Italian riga "row, rank," from a Germanic source and related to English row (v.).] 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 (see OED), but there is evidence that it was used as early as 1768.
Example
- 1. Return to the regatta schedule page .
- 2. I 'm going to accompany the governor to the charity regatta .
- 3. We agree to be bound by the prescriptions of 2010 shanghai boat show charity regatta and the conditions of this registration form .
- 4. The holding of olympic sailing regatta and the idea of humanistic olympics have great impact to improve the human environment in qingdao .
- 5. The 23rd annual head of the fish regatta features a 2.5 mile course , co-hosted by the saratoga springs rowing club and the saratoga rowing association .