When electroplating, the item to be plated is connected to the negative pole of a direct current power supply, which we call the cathode. The other side of the circuit, the positive pole, is called the anode.

The idea of positive vs. negative, anode vs. cathode, is so central to electrochemistry that it is important to instantly remember and understand which is positively charged and which is negatively charged

-- a mnemonic which may be helpful is "and-ode vs. can't-thode".