catch

Where does the word "catch" come from? It comes from Vulgar Latin captare, passing through Old North French before entering English (1200s).

Catch’s story begins in Vulgar Latin: captare meant “to try to seize.” A frequentative of 'capere', to take. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old North French as cachier. The Norman form kept the hard 'k' sound. It reached English by 1200s as catch. Moved from chasing to actually capturing. Today, catch means to seize and hold something moving.

1. Stage 1 · Vulgar Latin · ancient captare "to try to seize", a frequentative of 'capere', to take.
2. Stage 2 · Old North French · medieval cachier "to hunt", the Norman form kept the hard 'k' sound.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s catch "to capture", moved from chasing to actually capturing.