catchword means A word at the end of a book page that repeats the first word from the following page. (Such words served as aids to the bookbinder (to check rapidly for correct placement of leaves) and were also viewed by some readers as aids to smooth reading.). It carries an Arena rating of 1567, earned across 69 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, catchword ranks #789 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #797 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #4,324 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #4,397 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
catchword is pronounced /ˈkat͡ʃwɜːd/.
Why “catchword” is a great word
CATCHWORD — [Noun] A word or phrase that is frequently repeated until it becomes emblematic of a particular group, viewpoint, or era. From catch (in the sense of 'to seize or capture attention') + word. Unlike a "slogan," which is a crafted tool of persuasion, or a "motto," a formal and enduring principle, a catchword is an organic seizure of the moment's spirit. It is the brittle shorthand that crystallizes in the air of a salon, the hollow echo of "synergy" in a boardroom, or the fervent chant of "solidarity" on a picket line—a verbal flag planted in the shifting soil of the present, marking a fleeting territory of shared mind.
Etymology
From catch + word.
noun
- A word at the end of a book page that repeats the first word from the following page. (Such words served as aids to the bookbinder (to check rapidly for correct placement of leaves) and were also viewed by some readers as aids to smooth reading.)e.g.“Near-synonym: custos”
- The last word of a speech, serving as a cue for the next speaker.
- A word or expression repeated until it becomes representative of a party, school, business, or point of view.e.g.“One could give a long list of such intellectual fashions and catchwords which in the course of two or three generations have in turn dominated the thinking of the intellectual.” — 1949, F. A. Hayek, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”, in University of Chicago Law Review, volume 16, number 3, Chicago: University of Chicago, →DOI, page 424:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- catchwording 64% match — The use of catchwords vs catchword →
- underword 52% match — A word placed below another, either literally or metaphorically: a subtext; an inadequate or subordinate term or description; a secret word or phrase; a watchword vs catchword →
- catchstitch 51% match — A stitch used in bookbinding to hold a sheet of paper to the next one. vs catchword →
- bacover 51% match — Back cover of a book, magazine or similar medium. vs catchword →
- reverso 51% match — Any of the left-hand pages of a book. vs catchword →
- bookend 51% match — A heavy object or moveable support placed at one or both ends of a row of books for the purpose of keeping them upright. vs catchword →
- catchline 50% match — A short line of text designed to catch the eye, especially one used as an advertising slogan. vs catchword →
- byword 50% match — A proverb or proverbial expression, common saying; a frequently used word or phrase. vs catchword →