To catch is to grab or take hold of something that is moving, such as a ball. It can also mean to get something, like a cold or a bus, or to notice something with your senses, like a sound or a mistake.
From Old North French 'cachier' meaning 'to chase, hunt, capture', from Late Latin '*captiare', a variant of Latin 'capere' meaning 'to take' or 'to seize'. Over time, the meaning shifted from chasing to successfully grabbing.
The word is a cousin of 'capture' and 'captive'—they all come from the idea of taking hold of something. Even when you 'catch a cold', your language treats the illness like a thing you grabbed onto, whether you wanted it or not.
The phrase “a good catch” in dating contexts historically reflected a marriage market where men were evaluated for income and status and women for beauty and domesticity. This framing treats people as prizes rather than autonomous partners.
If you use “catch” about relationships, emphasize mutual fit rather than ranking people’s worth. Better yet, describe specific qualities (“kind,” “reliable,” “funny”) instead of treating a person as an object to be “caught.”
["great partner","good match","compatible person"]
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