catalog
Americannoun
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a list or record, as of items for sale or courses at a university, systematically arranged and often including descriptive material.
a stamp catalog.
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something that contains such a list or record, as a book, leaflet, or file.
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a list of the contents of a library or a group of libraries, arranged according to any of various systems.
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any list or record.
a catalog of complaints.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to produce a catalog.
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to have a specified price as listed in a catalog.
This model catalogs for $49.95.
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to offer merchandise in a mail-order catalog.
adjective
Usage
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.
Related Words
See list 1.
Other Word Forms
- cataloger noun
- catalogic adjective
- catalogical adjective
- catalogist noun
- catalogistic adjective
- cataloguer noun
- cataloguist noun
- miscatalog verb (used with object)
- miscatalogue verb (used with object)
- noncatalog adjective
- noncatalogue adjective
- recatalog verb (used with object)
Etymology
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; cata-
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As the 19th century drew to a close, a growing middle class found itself with disposable income, shorter workweeks, mail-order catalogs and department stores, all of which helped board games evolve into consumer products.
Sixty years later, “Taxman” remains one of the rare pop songs about fiscal policy—and the catalog behind it is proof that intellectual property, once organized, can outlast its creators and compound for generations.
With a growing catalog of confirmed mantle earthquakes and a dependable way to detect them, the team plans to investigate what triggers these rare events.
From Science Daily
The company’s catalog includes license plate readers, gunshot detectors and automated drones, with plans to expand into even more massive people-tracking software.
From Salon
Tim Mahoney, his childhood friend and a professional photographer, shot the units against a plain white backdrop, as if for an art catalog.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
