caterer (n.)

c. 1600, "provide food for," from Middle English catour (n.) "buyer of provisions" (c. 1400; late 13c. as a surname), a shortening of Anglo-French achatour "buyer" (Old North French acatour, Old French achatour, 13c., Modern French acheteur), from Old French achater "to buy," originally "to buy provisions," which is perhaps from Vulgar Latin *accaptare, from Latin ad- "to" (see ad-) + captare "to take, hold," frequentative of capere "to take" (from PIE root *kap- "to grasp").

Or else from Vulgar Latin *accapitare "to add to one's capital," with second element from verbal stem of Latin caput (genitive capitis); see capital (adj.). Related: Catered; catering. Figuratively, "act as a purveyor," from 1650s.

Likely formed from the verb in English were caterie "department of a house that procured and managed meat, fish, etc." (mid-15c.); cates (n.) "foodstuffs, provisions" (late 15c.).

It is the faire acceptance, Sir, creates

    The entertaynment perfect: not the cates.

[Ben Jonson, "Inviting a Friend to Supper"]

"dealer in poultry, one whose business is the sale of poultry (also hares, game, etc.) for the table," 1630s, a redundancy, but it has largely ousted original poulter (mid-13c., pulter), from Anglo-French poleter, pulleter, Old French pouletier "poulterer," from pouletrie (see poultry). With agent suffix -er (1). Compare upholsterer.