# botch

> English word · Verb · IPA /bɒt͡ʃ/ · frequency rank #59,242

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

## Etymology
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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/botch