ketchup
n. C / Un. a thick, cold sauce made from tomatoes, sugar, and vinegar. You usually eat it with fries, burgers, or hot dogs.
n. a thick, sweet and tangy condiment made from tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, and various seasonings. While historically referring to fish-based sauces, the modern sense refers almost exclusively to the tomato-based variety.
I like to dip my fries in ketchup.
The waiter brought a bottle of ketchup to the table for our burgers and fries.
The high sugar and vinegar content in commercial ketchup acts as a natural preservative, allowing the condiment to remain shelf-stable for extended periods after opening.
Uncertain, but probably ultimately from Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap, “fish sauce”) via Malay kicap, though the precise path is unclear – there are related words in various Chinese languages. Cognate to Malay kicap and Indonesian kecap, 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. Catsup (earlier catchup) is an alternative Anglicization, still in use in the U.S.
Uncountable when referring to the substance; countable when referring to a specific brand, variety, or individual serving packet.