A piece of timber or hardware component, particularly in carpentry or construction, that serves a specific structural or decorative purpose.
From 'cat' (unknown origin in this context) plus 'piece' from Old French 'piece'; likely emerged in specialized trades to describe a particular component whose original function or shape has been lost to time.
Technical jargon like 'catpiece' shows how trades develop secret languages—construction workers had terms that made perfect sense to them but sound completely mysterious to everyone else, making their knowledge seem almost magical.
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