Cataloguer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Someone who creates lists or records of items in an organized way
2. An individual responsible for systematically recording and organizing items or information
3. A person whose job or activity involves compiling and arranging entries for easy reference

Etymology: The word "cataloguer" is a plain English formation: the verb "catalogue" with the agent suffix "-er" added to name the person who does the cataloguing. The verb itself goes back to ancient Greek, where "katalogos" (from "katalegein", "to enumerate" or "to list", built from "kata-" meaning "down" or "through" and "legein" meaning "to pick out" or "to count") meant a list or register. Greek usage kept the sense of an enumerated roll, and the Latinised form "catalogus" carried it into medieval Latin and Old French. English took the noun in its Middle English form "cathalogue" and later the spelling "catalogue" by way of French. The verb followed from the noun, and the agent "-er" was added to the verb in English, which is why the word is a hybrid of Greek root, French spelling and Germanic suffix. The suffix itself descends from Latin "-arius", through Old French "-ier" and Middle English "-ere" and "-er", tracing back to Old English "-ere", which had the same agent function.

Synonyms: indexer, classifier, organizer