catchword
catchword Lexical Profile
catchword Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A widely recognized word or phrase that is repeatedly used to represent a particular group, movement, or idea; a slogan or buzzword.
"Sustainability has become the defining catchword of modern urban planning."
A word printed at the top of a dictionary or reference page to indicate the first or last entry on that page, or historically at the bottom right corner of a manuscript or book page to show the first word of the following page.
"Early printers placed a catchword at the bottom of each page to help bookbinders assemble the sheets in the proper order."
The final word of an actor's speech in a script that serves as the cue for the next speaker.
"The nervous understudy waited backstage, listening intently for his catchword before stepping onto the stage."
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Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 18th century from 'catch' and 'word', originally referring to the cue word in a script or the guide word printed at the foot of a page in early bookbinding, before evolving in the 19th century to mean a widely repeated political or cultural slogan.