Meaning

noun thick spicy sauce made from tomatoes

originUncertain, but probably ultimately from Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap, “fish sauce”) via Malay kecap ~ kicap “any dark clear sauce from soy, fish etc”, though the precise path is unclear – there are related words in various Chinese languages. 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…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0