catch·pole also catch·poll (kāch'pōl', kěch'-)

n. A sheriff's officer, especially one who arrests debtors.

[Middle English cacchepol, from Norman French cachepol, probably from Old French chacepol : chacier, to chase; see chase¹ + poul, rooster (from Latin pullus, chicken; see pau-¹ in Indo-European roots).]

"catchpole."The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 10 Apr. 2007. Dictionary.com.