'cataphoric' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'kataphorá', where 'kata-' meant 'down' and 'phorein' (or 'pherein') meant 'to carry or bear'.

'cataphoric' changed from the Greek word 'kataphorá' into Late/Modern Latin 'cataphora' and was later borrowed into English as the adjective 'cataphoric' in linguistic usage.

Initially it meant 'a carrying down' or 'a transfer', but over time in linguistic contexts it evolved to mean 'referring forward (in discourse)'.