1730, "the first word of the following page inserted at the lower right-hand corner of each page of a book," from catch (v.) + word (n.); extended to "word caught up and repeated" (especially in the political sense) by 1795. The literal sense is extinct; the figurative sense thrives.
catchpenny
catchphrase
catchpoll
catch-up
catchup
catchword
catchy
catdom
catechectic
catechesis
catechise