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The next page's first word printed at the foot of this one.
Also known as: Direction word, Foot word marking
A catchword is the first word of the following page printed at the foot of the current one, so a binder or reader could confirm the pages were in order. It disappeared from printing in the early nineteenth century as binding became reliable.
Prints the first word of the next page at the foot of the current one, as a check on correct order.
Contexts: History
Fell out of use in the early nineteenth century as binding practice made the check unnecessary, so its presence dates a book.
Contexts: History
A single word in small letters printed alone at the foot of a page, below and to the right of the text block.