botch
UK[bɒtʃ]US[bɑːtʃ]
v
To do something badly or carelessly; to spoil something by poor work.
n
A piece of careless or poor work; a mess.
Etymology
The verb 'botch' first appeared in Middle English around the 14th century, with the original sense of 'to repair or patch clumsily'. Its precise origin is obscure, but it is thought to be related to the Middle English 'bocchen' meaning 'to swell up', possibly influenced by the idea of a clumsy, bulging repair. Another theory suggests a connection to the Old French 'bocher', meaning 'to butcher' or 'to mangle', which would align with the modern sense of ruining something through poor workmanship. Over time, the meaning shifted from the specific act of clumsy mending to the general concept of performing any task incompetently, giving us the current abstract meaning of spoiling or bungling.
Analysis
The word 'botch' is a simplex word of uncertain origin, likely imitative or expressive in nature. It functions as a complete lexical unit.
Examples
The plumber botched the repair, and the leak started again the next day.
She made a complete botch of her first attempt at baking a cake.
The government's handling of the crisis was widely seen as a botch.