I. ˈbäch noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English boche, from Old North French, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin bottia protuberance, hump — more at boss
1. obsolete : a noninflammatory swelling (as a tumor)
2.
a. : an inflammatory sore spot (as a boil or ulcer)
b. : a condition marked by a profusion of boils, ulcers, or other sore spots
the Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt — Deut 28:27 (Authorized Version)
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English bocchen
1. : to repair, mend, or patch usually in a bungling clumsy inept way
a pair of old trousers that had been botched up with blue patches
: make over, redo, adjust, or alter usually unskillfully
my best suit had been botched, and I could no longer wear it
2. : to make a mess of through clumsiness, stupidity, or lack of ability : foul up hopelessly : bungle , spoil , ruin
one of those natural incompetents who botches whatever he puts his hand to — Farley Mowat
3. : to assemble, construct, or compose in a makeshift or bungling way
the rest of the report was a patchwork of data botched together — Dwight Macdonald
botching up jingles to produce what he fondly thought was a poem
III. noun
( -es )
1. : a botched place or part : defect , flaw , blemish
the botches of a poorly constructed building
2.
a. : something that is botched : mess
they made a real botch of that job
b. : a bungled piece of work : clumsy or careless work
that kind of botch is worse than no work at all
c. : a jumbled mixture : patchwork , hodgepodge , mishmash
the script was as often as not a botch of stolen scenes — Arthur Miller
a miserable botch of falsehoods — A.M.Schlesinger b. 1917
3. archaic : something used for patching or filling out : patching material