Catch"ing, n. The act of seizing or taking hold of.
Catching bargain (Law), a bargain made with an heir expectant for the purchase of his expectancy at an inadequate price. Bouvier.
Catch"-mead`ow (?), n. A meadow irrigated by water from a spring or rivulet on the side of hill.
Catch"ment (?), n. A surface of ground on which water may be caught and collected into a reservoir.
Catch"pen*ny (?), a. Made or contrived for getting small sums of money from the ignorant or unwary; as, a catchpenny book; a catchpenny show. -- n. Some worthless catchpenny thing.
Catch"poll` (?), n. [OF. chacepol, chacipol.] A bailiff's assistant.
{ Catch"up (?), Cat"sup (?) }, n. [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.]
Catch"wa`ter (?), n. A ditch or drain for catching water. See Catchdrain.
Catch"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) See Cleavers.
Catch"weight` (?), adv. (Horseracing) Without any additional weight; without being handicapped; as, to ride catchweight.
Catch"word` (?), n. 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.
Catch"work` (?), n. A work or artificial water-course for throwing water on lands that lie on the slopes of hills; a catchdrain.
Cate (?), n. Food. [Obs.] See Cates.
{ Cat`e*chet"ic (?), Cat`e*chet"ic*al (?), } a. [Gr. &?;. 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.
Cat`e*chet"ic*al*ly, adv. In a catechetical manner; by question and answer.
Cat`e*chet"ics (?), n. The science or practice of instructing by questions and answers.
Cat"e*chin (?), n. (Chem.) One of the tannic acids, extracted from catechu as a white, crystalline substance; -- called also catechuic acid, and catechuin.
Cat`e*chi*sa"tion (?), n. [LL. catechizatio.] The act of catechising.
Cat"e*chise (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Catechised (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Catechising.] [L. catechizare, Gr. &?;, 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.
Cat"e*chi`ser (kăt"&esl;*kī`z&etilde;r), n. One who catechises.
Cat"e*chism (-k&ibreve;z'm), n. [L. catechismus, fr. Gr. 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.
Cat`e*chis"mal (?), a. Of or pertaining to a catechism, having the form of questions and answers; catechetical.
Cat"e*chist (kăt"&esl;*k&ibreve;st), n. [L. catechista, fr. Gr.] One who instructs by question and answer, especially in religions matters.
{ Cat`e*chis"tic (-k&ibreve;s"t&ibreve;k), Cat`e*chis"tic*al (?), } a. Of or pertaining to a catechist or to a catechism. Dr. H. More.
Cat"e*chize, v. t. See Catechise.
Cat"e*chu (?), n. [See Cashoo.] (Chem.) 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.
Cat`e*chu"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to catechu or its derivatives. See catechin.
Cat"e*chu`men (?), n. [L. catechunenus, Gr. &?; 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.
Cat`e*chu"men*ate (?), n. The state or condition of a catechumen or the time during which one is a catechumen.
Cat`e*chu*men"i*cal (?), a. Of or pertaining to catechumens; as, catechumenical instructions.
Cat`e*chu"men*ist, n. A catechumen. Bp. Morton.
Cat`e*gor`e*mat"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?; predicate. See Category.] (Logic.) Capable of being employed by itself as a term; -- said of a word.
Cat`e*gor"ic*al (?), a. 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.
Cat`e*gor"ic*al*ly, adv. Absolutely; directly; expressly; positively; as, to affirm categorically.
Cat`e*gor"ic*al*ness, n. The quality of being categorical, positive, or absolute. A. Marvell.
Cat"e*go*rist (?), n. One who inserts in a category or list; one who classifies. Emerson.
Cat"e*go*rize (?), v. t. To insert in a category or list; to class; to catalogue.
Cat"e*go*ry (?), n.; pl. Categories (#). [L. categoria, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to accuse, affirm, predicate; &?; down, against + &?; to harrangue, assert, fr. &?; 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.
Cat"el (?), n. [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.
Cat`e*lec"trode (?), n. [Pref. cata + elecrode.] (Physics) The negative electrode or pole of a voltaic battery. Faraday.
Cat`e*lec`tro*ton"ic (?), a. (Physics) Relating to, or characterized by, catelectrotonus.
||Cat`e*lec*trot"o*nus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; 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.
||Ca*te"na (?), n.; pl. Catene (#). [L., a chain.] A chain or series of things connected with each other.
I have . . . in no case sought to construct those catenŠ of games, which it seems now the fashion of commentators to link together.
C. J. Ellicott.
{ Cat"e*na*ry (?), Cat`e*na"ri*an (?), } a. [L. catenarius, fr. catena a chain. See Chain.] Relating to a chain; like a chain; as, a catenary curve.
Cat"e*na*ry, n.; pl. 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.
Cat"e*nate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Catenated; p. pr. & vb. n. Catenating.] [L. catenatus, p. p. of catenare, fr. catena chain. See Chain.] To connect, in a series of links or ties; to chain. E. Darwin.
Cat`e*na"tion (?), n. [L. catenatio.] Connection of links or union of parts, as in a chain; a regular or connected series. See Concatenation. Sir T. Browne.
Ca*ten"u*late (?), a. [L. catenuia, dim. of catena chain.] 1. Consisting of little links or chains.
2. (Zo÷l.) Chainlike; -- said both or color marks and of indentations when arranged like the links of a chain, as on shells, etc.
Ca"ter (?), n. [OE. catour purchaser, caterer, OF. acator, fr. acater, F. acheter, to buy, provide, fr. LL. accaptare; L. ad + captare to strive, to seize, intens, of capere to take, seize. Cf. Acater, Capacious.] A provider; a purveyor; a caterer. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Ca"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Catered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Catering.] [From Cater, n.] 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.
Ca"ter, n. [F. quatre four.] The four of cards or dice.
Ca"ter, v. t. To cut diagonally. [Obs.] Halliwell.
Cat"e*ran (?), n. [Gael. ceatharnach. Cf. Kern Irish foot soldier.] A Highland robber: a kind of irregular soldier. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.