catalogue

A catalogue is a list or record of items. It is sometimes spelled catalog, which is often the preferred spelling in the U.S.

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 catalogue 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.

Catalogue 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 catalogue.

A card catalogue 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 online.

Sometimes, catalogue is used in a very general way as another way of saying list, as in a catalogue of complaints.

Catalogue can also be used as a verb meaning to record items with a list, as in Please catalogue all of the new titles.

Example: The course catalogue lists all of the classes that are available to take.

The first records of the word catalogue 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 catalogue, as can inventory and index. Perhaps the most general synonym of catalogue is list. The kind of catalogue 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.

What are some other forms related to catalogue?

• catalog (alternate spelling)
• cataloguer (noun)
• miscatalogue (verb)
• recatalogue (verb)

What are some synonyms for catalogue?

• list
• file
• index
• inventory
• register
• record

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

• card catalogue
• logos

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

• order
• mail order
• course
• holiday
• monthly
• purchase

Catalogue can be used in all kinds of contexts involving lists of items. In the U.S., the spelling catalog is often preferred.

The Archives building is closed to the public until further notice. We continue to offer our e-Services such as the online catalogue, web site, and our email query service & continuing our work on listing, indexing and preserving collections…stay safe pic.twitter.com/14fqtpGAUT

— Cork Archives (@corkarchives) January 5, 2021

An entire catalogue of Soviet Sausages.https://t.co/DTujKCuE8b

Useful.

thanks @mtechman @ykomska pic.twitter.com/i5BZd6mOSB

— Present & Correct (@presentcorrect) December 31, 2020

Just found the picture of what now feels like a one of those quietly foundational moments of one's career. Here's (a much younger) me with the team that worked in cataloguing the library of San Carlino alle Quattro Fontane in Rome from December 2012. pic.twitter.com/xvSq54QGy3

— Eduardo Fernández (@ApocalypsisNova) January 5, 2021

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

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