Botch

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /bɒt͡ʃ/

Definitions

1. To perform a task in a clumsy or incompetent manner causing failure or harm ; an error or badly completed piece of work that results from this action
2. To do something badly or in a way that spoils the intended outcome ; a flaw or botched effort that shows poor skill or judgment
3. The act of bungling or mishandling a job causing it to fail or be faulty ; a mistake or unsatisfactory result from doing something poorly

Etymology: The verb "botch" is a good example of a word with two possible routes into English, and the sources disagree about which one is right. One proposal links it to Old English "bōtettan", meaning to improve or repair, which would tie it to "boot" in the sense of advantage. The other points to Middle Dutch "botsen" or "boetsen", meaning to patch, which is related to "beat". Both trace back to ideas of mending, so the word began as a repair job, not a failure. The second story is also uncertain. A form "botche" appears in Middle English, likely from Anglo-Norman "boche", which may come from Late Latin "bocia", meaning boss, the round knob or lump. Under that account, a botch was once a swelling or clumsy lump before it meant a clumsy patch. The modern sense of a bungled job came later, as a patch that did not hold came to stand for any careless piece of work. "Bodge", a near relative, keeps the same mending meaning in British English.

Synonyms: bungle, mishandle, fumble, ruin, mess up

Antonyms: succeed, fix, perfect, restore, achieve