catalog

Or cat·a·logue

[kat-l-awg, -og]

noun

1. a list or record, as of items for sale or courses at a university, systematically arranged and often including descriptive material.

   a stamp catalog.

   Synonyms: record, register, roster

2. something that contains such a list or record, as a book, leaflet, or file.

3. a list of the contents of a library or a group of libraries, arranged according to any of various systems.

   Synonyms: record, register, roster

4. any list or record.

   a catalog of complaints.

verb (used with object)

cataloged, catalogued, cataloging, cataloguing. 

1. to enter (items) in a catalog; make a catalog of.

verb (used without object)

cataloged, catalogued, cataloging, cataloguing. 

1. to produce a catalog.

2. to have a specified price as listed in a catalog.

   This model catalogs for $49.95.

3. to offer merchandise in a mail-order catalog.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or carrying on business through a mail-order catalog.

   catalog sales.

Other Word Forms

• cataloger noun
• cataloguer noun
• catalogist noun
• cataloguist noun
• catalogic adjective
• catalogical adjective
• catalogistic adjective
• miscatalog verb (used with object)
• miscatalogue verb (used with object)
• noncatalog adjective
• noncatalogue adjective
• recatalog verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of catalog¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English cataloge, from Late Latin catalogus, from Greek katálogos “a register” (akin to katalégein “to count up”), equivalent to kata- “down, against, back” + -logos reckoning; cata-

Synonym Study

See list ¹.

Example Sentences

What’s a little surprising for something labeled the Tiffany Network is the level of crudity in the humor, the specifics of which needn’t be cataloged here.

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While he has not produced a successful and critically acclaimed new musical in many years, the better-known works in his catalog have been spruced up by innovative directors.

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For this reason, international efforts like ESA's Planetary Defence Office and NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office monitor and catalog these objects to predict potential impacts years or decades in advance.

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I was hooked, and started working my way back through his catalog.

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Ms. Foggie-Barnett, who knew Harris well, says in the catalog, “His mission was not only to cover the news but also to simultaneously counter the stereotypes African Americans were subjected to in the traditional press.”

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• book 
• catalogue 
• file 
• inventory 
• list 
• prospectus 

When To Use

What does catalog mean?

A catalog is a list or record of items. It is sometimes spelled catalogue.It commonly refers to a list of things being offered, such as items for sale or courses at a school. The point of such a catalog is typically to arrange the information in an orderly way—often with descriptions—so that the items can be easily found.The word often refers to a printed copy of the list, especially in the context of items available for purchase from a particular company.Catalog can also be used to refer to a collection of works, such as by a particular artist, as in I love every album in her catalog.A card catalog is a file containing information about the books and other materials held in a library. Card catalogs were once commonly physical cabinets of drawers containing cards but now often exist as online catalogs.Sometimes, catalog is used in a very general way as another way of saying list, as in a catalog of complaints.Catalog can also be used as a verb meaning to record items with a list, as in Please catalog all of the new titles.Example: The course catalog lists all of the classes that are available to take.