What is the origin of the word "Catholic"?

Question

I know the suffix "ic" means "of, or pertaining to", like "alcohol-alcoholic", acid-acidic", or "islam-islamic". Is there a such thing as a "cathol"? Where did the word "CATHOLIC" originate and from what?

Answer 1

It's from the Greek word katholikós which means "general" or "universal". It's a contraction of the words "katà hólou " which mean "according to the whole". These days you might hear the phrase "world-wide church".
The idea is that though Christians are spread out all over the earth, we are still "one body of Christ" (as the Bible says).

Answer 2

The Church has referred to itself as the “Catholic Church” at least since 107 C.E. (about 10 years after the last book of the New Testament was written), when the Greek term "Katholikos" (meaning universal) appears in the Letter of St. Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans:

"Wherever the bishop appear, there let the multitude be; even as wherever Christ Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church."

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/ignatius-smyrnaeans-hoole.html

We do not know how long they had been using the term "Catholic" before it was included in this letter.

All of this was long before the Council of Nicea and the Nicene Creed from 325 C.E. which states, "We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church."

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07644a.htm

With love in Christ.

Answer 3

I was taught in innumerable Catholic schools that Catholic means "universal," which was to be our goal in saving all the starving babies around the world with our dimes and nickels. Hmm.
EDIT: The old dictionary agrees. Universal it is.
PS. Comes from Greek, I forgot to write that part.

Answer 4

Four Arrows was the first one to get it right. It's greek.

All of Roman Catholicism is greek to me.

Answer 5

Perhaps the priests were once addicted to fermented kitty-squeezin's?