Catchpenny adjective Made or contrived for getting small sums of money from the ignorant or unwary; as, a catchpenny book; a catchpenny show. -- noun Some worthless catchpenny thing.

Catchpoll noun [ Old French chacepol , chacipol .] A bailiff's assistant.

Catchup, Catsup noun [ Probably of East Indian origin, because it was originally a kind of East Indian pickles.] A table sauce made from mushrooms, tomatoes, walnuts, etc. [ Written also ketchup .]

Catchwater noun A ditch or drain for catching water. See Catchdrain .

Catchweed noun (Botany) See Cleavers .

Catchweight adverb (Horseracing) Without any additional weight; without being handicapped; as, to ride catchweight .

Catchword 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 noun A work or artificial water-course for throwing water on lands that lie on the slopes of hills; a catchdrain.

Catchy 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 noun Food. [ Obsolete] See Cates .

Catechetic, Catechetical 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 adverb In a catechetical manner; by question and answer.

Catechetics noun The science or practice of instructing by questions and answers.

Catechin noun (Chemistry) One of the tannic acids, extracted from catechu as a white, crystalline substance; -- called also catechuic acid , and catechuin .

Catechisation noun [ Late Latin catechizatio .] The act of catechising.

Catechise 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 (kăt"e*kī`zẽr) noun One who catechises.

Catechism (-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 adjective Of or pertaining to a catechism, having the form of questions and answers; catechetical.

Catechist (kăt"e*kĭst) noun [ Latin catechista , from Greek ] One who instructs by question and answer, especially in religions matters.

Catechistic (-kĭs"tĭk), Cat`e*chis"tic*al adjective Of or pertaining to a catechist or to a catechism. Dr. H. More.

Catechize transitive verb See Catechise .

Catechu 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 adjective Of or pertaining to catechu or its derivatives. See catechin .

Catechumen 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 noun The state or condition of a catechumen or the time during which one is a catechumen.

Catechumenical adjective Of or pertaining to catechumens; as, catechumenical instructions.

Catechumenist noun A catechumen. Bp. Morton.

Categorematic adjective [ Greek ... predicate. See Category .] (Logic.) Capable of being employed by itself as a term; -- said of a word.

Categorical 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 adverb Absolutely; directly; expressly; positively; as, to affirm categorically .

Categoricalness noun The quality of being categorical, positive, or absolute. A. Marvell.

Categorist noun One who inserts in a category or list; one who classifies. Emerson.

Categorize transitive verb To insert in a category or list; to class; to catalogue.

Category 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 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 noun [ Prefix cata + elecrode .] (Physics) The negative electrode or pole of a voltaic battery. Faraday.

Catelectrotonic adjective (Physics) Relating to, or characterized by, catelectrotonus.

Catelectrotonus 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 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 catenæ of games, which it seems now the fashion of commentators to link together.
C. J. Ellicott.

Catenary 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 adjective [ Latin catenarius , from catena a chain. See Chain .] Relating to a chain; like a chain; as, a catenary curve.

Catenate 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 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 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 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 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 noun [ French quatre four.] The four of cards or dice.

Cater transitive verb To cut diagonally. [ Obsolete] Halliwell.

Cateran noun [ Gael. ceatharnach . Confer Kern Irish foot soldier.] A Highland robber: a kind of irregular soldier. [ Scot.] Sir W. Scott.