Etymology

1711, from Malay kicap, from Chinese Min Nan (鮭汁, POJ: kê-chiap) “brine of fish (namely salmon).” Catsup (earlier catchup) is a failed attempt at Anglicization, still in use in U.S. Also derived from Cantonese, keh jup (meaning tomato juice)

Usage notes

The term is now used almost exclusively to refer to tomato ketchup, however, at one time it was a more general term for sauce and is still occasionally used in this way, such as grape-ketchup and mushroom ketchup.