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Origin of catalog

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; see cata-

synonym study for catalog

1, 3. See list1.

OTHER WORDS FROM catalog

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT CATALOG

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.

Where does catalog come from?

The first records of the word catalog come from the 1400s. It comes from the Greek katálogos, meaning “a register,” from the verb katalégein, meaning “to list” or “to count up.”

Register can be used as a synonym of catalog, as can inventory and index. Perhaps the most general synonym of catalog is list. The kind of catalog that you can order products from and comes in the form of a printed booklet is still somewhat common, despite the popularity of online shopping.

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What are some other forms related to catalog?

What are some synonyms for catalog?

What are some words that share a root or word element with catalog? 

What are some words that often get used in discussing catalog?

How is catalog used in real life?

Catalog is perhaps most popularly used to refer to the booklets that people browse through to order products, but it’s also commonly used in more general ways to refer to other lists of items, such as books and college courses.

Try using catalog!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of catalog?

A. list
B. record
C. inventory
D. purchase

How to use catalog in a sentence

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