The Spanish word 'catalejo' (telescope) is a compound word formed from two elements with Latin origins. The first part comes from the Latin verb 'capere' (to take, seize) which evolved into 'captare' (to seize, catch) and then into Spanish 'catar' (to look at, examine). The second part comes from the Latin word 'laxius' (more loosely, farther) which developed into Spanish 'lejos' (far). When combined, 'catalejo' literally means something like 'look far' or 'examine from afar', which perfectly describes the function of a telescope.

Two simpler and more common Spanish words that are related to 'catalejo' are its component parts: 'catar' and 'lejos'. 'Catar' is commonly used in modern Spanish to mean 'to taste' or 'to sample' (especially wines), showing how the meaning evolved from 'examining' something to specifically examining its taste. 'Lejos' is a very common Spanish word meaning 'far' that you'll encounter in basic phrases like 'muy lejos' (very far) or 'lejos de aquí' (far from here).

While there aren't direct English cognates for 'catalejo', the Latin root 'capere' (to take, seize) has given English many words. Some common examples include 'capture', 'capable', 'captive', and 'accept'. All these words retain some sense of taking or receiving something, just as the Spanish 'catalejo' takes in distant images.