Catchwater Catch"wa`ter noun A ditch or drain for catching water. See Catchdrain .
Catchweed Catch"weed` noun (Botany) See Cleavers .
Catchweight Catch"weight` adverb (Horseracing) Without any additional weight; without being handicapped; as, to ride catchweight .
Catchword Catch"word` noun 1. Among theatrical performers, the last word of the preceding speaker, which reminds one that he is to speak next; cue. 2. (Print.) The first word of any page of a book after the first, inserted at the right hand bottom corner of the preceding page for the assistance of the reader. It is seldom used in modern printing. 3. A word or phrase caught up and repeated for effect; as, the catchword of a political party, etc.
Catchwork Catch"work` noun A work or artificial water-course for throwing water on lands that lie on the slopes of hills; a catchdrain.
Catchy Catch"y adjective 1. Apt or tending to catch the fancy or attention; catching; taking; as, catchy music. 2. Tending to catch or insnare; entangling; - - usually used fig.; as, a catchy question. 3. Consisting of, or occuring in, disconnected parts or snatches; changeable; as, a catchy wind. It [ the fox's scent] is . . . flighty or catchy , if variable.
Encyc. of Sport.
Cate Cate noun Food. [ Obsolete] See Cates .
Catechetic, Catechetical Cat`e·chet"ic, Cat`e·chet"ic·al adjective [ Greek .... See
Catechise .]
Relating to or consisting in, asking questions and receiving answers, according to the ancient manner of teaching. Socrates introduced a catechetical method of arguing.
Addison.
Catechetically Cat`e·chet"ic·al·ly adverb In a catechetical manner; by question and answer.
Catechetics Cat`e·chet"ics noun The science or practice of instructing by questions and answers.
Catechin Cat"e·chin noun (Chemistry) One of the tannic acids, extracted from catechu as a white, crystalline substance; -- called also catechuic acid , and catechuin .
Catechisation Cat`e·chi·sa"tion noun [ Late Latin
catechizatio .]
The act of catechising.
Catechise Cat"e·chise transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Catechised ;
present participle & verbal noun Catechising .] [ Latin
catechizare , Greek ..., equiv. to ... to resound, sound a thing into one's ears, impress it upon one by word of mouth; ... + ... to sound, ... a sound.]
1. To instruct by asking questions, receiving answers, and offering explanations and corrections, -- esp. in regard to points of religious faith. 2. To question or interrogate; to examine or try by questions; -- sometimes with a view to reproof, by eliciting from a person answers which condemn his own conduct. Swift.
Catechiser Cat"e·chi`ser (kăt"e*kī`zẽr)
noun One who catechises.
Catechism Cat"e·chism (-kĭz'm)
noun [ Latin
catechismus , from Greek See
Catechise .]
1. A form of instruction by means of questions and answers. 2. A book containing a summary of principles, especially of religious doctrine, reduced to the form of questions and answers. The Jews, even till this day, have their catechisms .
Hooker.
The Larger Catechism ,
The Shorter Catechism .
See Westminster Assembly , under Assembly .
Catechismal Cat`e·chis"mal adjective Of or pertaining to a catechism, having the form of questions and answers; catechetical.
Catechist Cat"e·chist (kăt"e*kĭst)
noun [ Latin
catechista , from Greek ]
One who instructs by question and answer, especially in religions matters.
Catechistic Cat`e·chis"tic (-kĭs"tĭk),
Cat`e*chis"tic*al adjective Of or pertaining to a catechist or to a catechism. Dr. H. More.
Catechize Cat"e·chize transitive verb See Catechise .
Catechu Cat"e·chu noun [ See
Cashoo .]
(Chemistry) A dry, brown, astringent extract, obtained by decoction and evaporation from the Acacia catechu , and several other plants growing in India. It contains a large portion of tannin or tannic acid, and is used in medicine and in the arts. It is also known by the names terra japonica , cutch , gambier , etc. Ure. Dunglison.
Catechuic Cat`e·chu"ic adjective Of or pertaining to catechu or its derivatives. See catechin .
Catechumen Cat"e·chu`men noun [
Latin catechunenus, Greek ... instructed, from .... See Catechise .]
(Eccl.) One who is receiving rudimentary instruction in the doctrines of Christianity; a neophyte; in the primitive church, one officially recognized as a Christian, and admitted to instruction preliminary to admission to full membership in the church.
Catechumenate Cat`e·chu"men·ate noun The state or condition of a catechumen or the time during which one is a catechumen.
Catechumenical Cat`e·chu·men"i·cal adjective Of or pertaining to catechumens; as, catechumenical instructions.
Catechumenist Cat`e·chu"men·ist noun A catechumen. Bp. Morton.
Categorematic Cat`e·gor`e·mat"ic adjective [ Greek ... predicate. See
Category .]
(Logic.) Capable of being employed by itself as a term; -- said of a word.
Categorical Cat`e·gor"ic·al adjective 1. Of or pertaining to a category. 2. Not hypothetical or relative; admitting no conditions or exceptions; declarative; absolute; positive; express; as, a categorical proposition, or answer. The scriptures by a multitude of categorical and intelligible decisions . . . distinguish between the things seen and temporal and those that are unseen and eternal.
I. Taylor.
Categorically Cat`e·gor"ic·al·ly adverb Absolutely; directly; expressly; positively; as, to affirm categorically .
Categoricalness Cat`e·gor"ic·al·ness noun The quality of being categorical, positive, or absolute. A. Marvell.
Categorist Cat"e·go·rist noun One who inserts in a category or list; one who classifies. Emerson.
Categorize Cat"e·go·rize transitive verb To insert in a category or list; to class; to catalogue.
Category Cat"e·go·ry noun ;
plural Categories . [ Latin
categoria , Greek ..., from ... to accuse, affirm, predicate; ... down, against + ... to harrangue, assert, from ... assembly.]
1. (Logic.) One of the highest classes to which the objects of knowledge or thought can be reduced, and by which they can be arranged in a system; an ultimate or undecomposable conception; a predicament. The categories or predicaments -- the former a Greek word, the latter its literal translation in the Latin language -- were intended by Aristotle and his followers as an enumeration of all things capable of being named; an enumeration by the summa genera i.e., the most extensive classes into which things could be distributed.
J. S. Mill.
2. Class; also, state, condition, or predicament; as, we are both in the same category . There is in modern literature a whole class of writers standing within the same category .
De Quincey.
Catel Cat"el noun [ See
Chattel .]
Property; -- often used by Chaucer in contrast with rent , or income . " For loss of catel may recovered be,
But loss of tyme shendeth us," quod he.
Chaucer.
Catelectrode Cat`e·lec"trode noun [ Prefix
cata + elecrode .]
(Physics) The negative electrode or pole of a voltaic battery. Faraday.
Catelectrotonic Cat`e·lec`tro·ton"ic adjective (Physics) Relating to, or characterized by, catelectrotonus.
Catelectrotonus Cat`e·lec·trot"o·nus noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... down + ... (see
Electro- ) + ... tone.]
(Physics) The condition of increased irritability of a nerve in the region of the cathode or negative electrode, on the passage of a current of electricity through it.
Catena Ca·te"na noun ;
plural Catene . [ Latin , a chain.]
A chain or series of things connected with each other. I have . . . in no case sought to construct those catenć of games, which it seems now the fashion of commentators to link together.
C. J. Ellicott.
Catenary Cat"e·na·ry noun ;
plural Catenaries (Geol.) The curve formed by a rope or chain of uniform density and perfect flexibility, hanging freely between two points of suspension, not in the same vertical line.
Catenary, Catenarian Cat"e·na·ry, Cat`e·na"ri·an adjective [ Latin
catenarius , from
catena a chain. See
Chain .]
Relating to a chain; like a chain; as, a catenary curve.
Catenate Cat"e·nate transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Catenated ;
present participle & verbal noun Catenating .] [ Latin
catenatus , past participle of
catenare , from
catena chain. See
Chain .]
To connect, in a series of links or ties; to chain. E. Darwin.
Catenation Cat`e·na"tion noun [ Latin
catenatio .]
Connection of links or union of parts, as in a chain; a regular or connected series. See Concatenation . Sir T. Browne.
Catenulate Ca·ten"u·late adjective [ Latin
catenuia , dim. of
catena chain.]
1. Consisting of little links or chains. 2. (Zoology) Chainlike; -- said both or color marks and of indentations when arranged like the links of a chain, as on shells, etc.
Cater Ca"ter noun [ Middle English
catour purchaser, caterer, Old French
acator , from
acater , French
acheter , to buy, provide, from Late Latin
accaptare ; Latin
ad + captare to strive, to seize, intens, of
capere to take, seize. Confer
Acater ,
Capacious .]
A provider; a purveyor; a caterer. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Cater Ca"ter intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Catered ;
present participle & verbal noun Catering .] [ From
Cater ,
noun ]
1. To provide food; to buy, procure, or prepare provisions. [ He] providently caters for the sparrow.
Shak.
2. By extension: To supply what is needed or desired, at theatrical or musical entertainments; -- followed by for or to .
Cater Ca"ter noun [ French
quatre four.]
The four of cards or dice.
Cater Ca"ter transitive verb To cut diagonally. [ Obsolete]
Halliwell.
Cater-cornered Ca"ter-cor`nered adjective [ Confer
Cater to cut diagonally.]
Diagonal. [ Colloq.]
Cater-cousin Ca"ter-cous`in noun A remote relation. See Quater-cousin . Shak.
Cateran Cat"e·ran noun [ Gael.
ceatharnach . Confer
Kern Irish foot soldier.]
A Highland robber: a kind of irregular soldier. [ Scot.]
Sir W. Scott.
Caterer Ca"ter·er noun One who caters. The little fowls in the air have God for Their provider and caterer .
Shelton.
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