What is "catchword"

Catchword \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.

1730, "the first word of the following page inserted at the lower right-hand corner of each page of a book," from catch (v.) + word (n.); extended to "word caught up and repeated" (especially in the political sense) by 1795. The literal sense is extinct; the figurative sense thrives.

n. 1 A word under the right-hand side of the last line on a book page that repeats the first word on the following page. 2 A word or expression repeated until it becomes representative of a party, school, business, or point of view. 3 Among theatrical performers, the last word of the preceding speaker, which reminds one that he is to speak next; cue.

n. a favorite saying of a sect or political group [syn: motto, slogan, shibboleth]

A catchword is a word placed at the foot of a handwritten or printed page that is meant to be bound along with other pages in a book. The word anticipates the first word of the following page. It was meant to help the bookbinder or printer make sure that the leaves were bound in the right order or that the pages were set up in the press in the right order. Catchwords appear in some medieval manuscripts, and appear again in printed books late in the fifteenth century. The practice became widespread in the mid sixteenth century, and prevailed until the arrival of industrial printing techniques late in the eighteenth century.

Theodore Low Devinne's 1901 guide on Correct Composition had this to say:

For more than three centuries printers of books appended at the foot of every page the first word or syllable of the next page. This catchword was supposed to be needed by the reader to make clear the connection between the two pages ; but the catchword is now out of use, and it is not missed.

Catchword is a daytime word game show first shown on BBC1 Scotland from 17 May 1985 until 2 April 1986, hosted by Gyles Brandreth, and then network on its sister channel BBC2 from 5 January 1988 until 23 May 1995, hosted by Paul Coia

Catchword is a naming firm that creates names for companies and products. Headquartered in Oakland, California with an East Coast office in New Jersey, Catchword has created names for industries that include technology, food and beverage, consumer products, financial services, and healthcare.