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catchpole

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catchpole¹

  • /ˈkatʃpəʊl/ UK

Where it comes from

From Old French chacepol (“one who chases fowls”) (or a northern variant thereof).

noun catchpoles · catchpoll

  1. obsolete A taxman, one who gathers taxes. With two such catchpoles as Henry and Uncle Fred at his heels there was nothing left for Grandpa Piper but to sign his abdication to the drapery business.
  2. A sheriff’s officer, usually one who arrests debtors.

catchpole²

  • /ˈkatʃpəʊl/ UK

Where it comes from

From catch + pole.

noun catchpoles · catch-pole

  1. historical An implement formerly used for seizing and securing a person who would otherwise be out of reach. The use of the catch-pole is said to have been to take horsemen in battle by the neck and drag them from their horses.

    Similar: man catcher

Catchpole³

Where it comes from

From Anglo-Norman cachepole, a compound of cachier (“to catch”) + pol (“fowl”), a nickname given to a bailiff, originally empowered to seize poultry and other livestock in case of default on debts or taxes.

proper noun Catchpoles

  1. A surname from Anglo-Norman.

Translations

Every language

noun an implement used for seizing and securing a person

Españolpértiga atrapadora, pertigal capturador

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Cite this
MLA

"catchpole." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/catchpole. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

catchpole. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/catchpole

Chicago

"catchpole." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/catchpole.

BibTeX
@misc{catchpole_2026,
  title = {catchpole},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/catchpole},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}