Meaning

noun an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing

verb travel in a yacht

originCirca 1557; variant of yaught, earlier yeaghe (“light, fast-sailing ship”), from Dutch jacht (“yacht; hunt”), in older spelling jaght(e), short for jaghtschip (“light sailing vessel, fast pirate ship”, literally “pursuit ship”), compound of jacht and schip (“ship”). In the 16th century the Dutch built light, fast ships to chase the ships of pirates and smugglers from the coast. The ship was…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0