A word near the bottom of a manuscript page may repeat the beginning of a later page. Before inserting it into a transcription, check whether the catalogue identifies it as a catchword.
Compare the two locations
The Harvard METRO glossary explains catchwords at the ends of gatherings as aids to keeping the gatherings in order. Its medieval examples teach a material reading skill; they are not evidence that every ancient religious manuscript uses the same system.
Look at the word’s position and the corresponding opening. Preserve the manuscript identifier and folio references so someone else can repeat the comparison.
Keep structure separate from running text
In a reading note, label the possible catchword as a feature of the book’s organisation. Do not silently duplicate it in the translated sentence above. If the identification is uncertain, say so and consult the edition’s description.
This distinction helps when studying the transmission of historical writings: the surface carries both text and the practical marks used to assemble or navigate a book. A small repeated word may therefore tell you about the physical sequence, rather than adding a new statement to the work you are reading.