Etymograph

English

eyecatch

Eyecatch comes from Japanese アイキャッチ, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kap-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-root as named · steps between not traced
  2. Japanesemodernアイキャッチaikyatchi
  3. Englishearliest quotation 2007eyecatch

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-root as named · steps between not traced
  2. Japanesemodernアイキャッチaikyatchi
  3. Englishearliest quotation 2007eyecatch

Earliest quotation: 2007, E Taylor, Dating-Simulation Games: Leisure and Gaming of Japanese Yout: “Tootemo! Pheromone has an "eyecatch” between each scene consisting…”

The story

Phono-semantic matching of Japanese アイキャッチ (aikyatchi), itself a wasei eigo (和製英語; pseudo-anglicism) derived from eye + catch.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kap-

had, head, case, except, heavy, accept, capital, captain, behavior, cash, receive, heavily, capacity, chapter, escape, capable, achieve, cable, capture, chase, perception, haven, reception, cape, occupation, recipe, behave, chef, cabin, chapel, capitol, hawk, recipient, cattle, susceptible, capita, anticipation, anticipate, caption, captive, 177 more

Today it means

noun A short scene or illustration used to begin and end a commercial break in a Japanese television program.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kap- / eyecatch