Catchword is a compound of catch (in the sense of seizing attention) + word. Originally a printing term for the word at the foot of a page repeated at the top of the next. Morphologically, catchword is transparent: it is a compound of catch (in the sense of seizing attention) + word. Used as a noun, catchword now means "a memorable word or phrase repeated as a slogan", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as catch and watchword. The modern word remains analyzable through its parts, which makes the semantic connection unusually direct.