Other forms: categories
A category is a named group that similar things are sorted into. A separate category, fall into a category, category error.
A category error is treating something as the wrong kind of thing altogether — asking what colour a number is. Categories look natural and are usually made rather than found. The Greek behind it means an accusation, from public speaking.
1nouncategoryA named group that similar things are sorted into.
“The film won the prize in the best comedy category.”
category is a group.
Greek kategoria means an accusation or a statement made against somebody, from kata plus agoreuein, to speak publicly. Aristotle took it for a class of predicates.
Proto-Indo-European
*h₂ger-
French
catégorie
English, today
category
From Middle English -, from French catégorie. Late Middle English -, borrowed from French catégorie, from Middle French categorie, from Latin catēgoria (“class of predicables”), from Ancient Greek κατηγορία (“head of predicables”). a doublet of categoria.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA