Catchpole
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A taxman, one who gathers taxes. obsolete
"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 An implement formerly used for seizing and securing a person who would otherwise be out of reach. historical
"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."
- 3 A sheriff’s officer, usually one who arrests debtors.
- 1 A surname from Anglo-Norman.
Example
More examples"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."
Etymology
From Old French chacepol (“one who chases fowls”) (or a northern variant thereof).
From catch + pole.
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.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.