Where does “catchall” come from?

Catchall combines English catch, from Latin captio (a taking or seizing, from capere meaning to take) and Latin agere (to do or drive), with the English suffix -al.

catchall (English): Alternative form of catch-all

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of catch-all

Ancestry of “catchall”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishcatch-allAny place or repository where things are placed...
2EnglishcatchThe act of seizing or capturing; The act of...
3Middle Englishcacchento catch
4Anglo-Normancachierto hide; Alternative form of chacier
5Vulgar Latincoacticarepresent active infinitive of *coacticō
6Latincoactōto compel, constrain, force
7Latincoactusforced, compelled, having been forced; urged,...
8Latincōgōto collect, assemble, gather together
9Latincōn-Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects
10Latincumwith, along with; at; -fold
11Old LatincomAlternative form of cum
12Proto-Italickomwith, along, at
13Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
14Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
15Middle Englishkyt
16Russianкитwhale; genitive plural of ки́та
17Old Church Slavonicкитъwhale
18Ancient Greekκῆτοςwhale, sea monster; abyss
Every word from Ancient Greek κῆτος