# catamorphism

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A generalization of the folds on lists known from functional programming to arbitrary abstract data types that can be described as initial algebras.

## Etymology
From cata- (“down”) + morphism.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/catamorphism