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Uncertain, but probably ultimately from Hokkien膎汁(kê-chiap, “fish sauce”) via Malaykicap, though the precise path is unclear – there are related words in various Chinese languages, and it may have entered English directly from Hokkien Chinese. Cognate to Indonesiankecap, ketjap(“soy sauce”). Various other theories exist – see Ketchup: Etymology for extended discussion.
First appeared in English in the late 17th century in reference to a Southeast Asian sauce encountered by British traders and sailors. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that it was commonly used in the 18th century to refer to a variety of similar sauces with varying ingredients—"anchovies, mushrooms, walnuts, and oysters being particularly popular"—but by the late 19th century the current tomato ketchup became the most popular form.[1]
Catsup (earlier catchup) is an alternative Anglicization, still in use in the U.S.
1883, Cassell's Dictionary of Cookery, page lxxxiii:
The bottles, however, were port bottles, but contained mushroom ketchup; […]
2003, Inns and Bed and Breakfasts in Quebec 2003, Ulysses Travel Guides, page 46:
To accompany meat, we prepare fruit ketchups and rhubarb chutney.
Usage notes
The spelling ketchup became significantly preferred in the United States due to the popularity of the Heinz brand, which shortly after its introduction in 1876 switched from catsup to this spelling to distinguish itself from competitors. Other major brands, such as Hunt, subsequently followed, with Del Monte only switching to ketchup in 1988.[2]
This condiment is more commonly and somewhat ambiguously called tomato sauce outside of North America and the United Kingdom. In South Africa, the word ketchup is not generally understood.
1867, John Maddison Morton, Aunt Charlotte's maid: a farce in one act:
It strikes me she's "ketchupped" the lot! I won't touch a morsel!
1973, Horizon, page 15:
"Well," said Chuck, ketchupping his hamburger, "I'd rather do without King Lear than put up with the human agony it sprang out of. I'd rather not have the Eroica than have the big bloody conqueror it tries to immortalize."
2009, David Silverman, Twinkle, page 4:
Their fellow diners, like their ketchupped grub, were appropriately dashed and splattered with paint and plaster, reading their Suns and Daily Mirror.
References
^ "Ketchup", Oxford English Dictionary (online edition, 2020).