Chemistry - Does the term 'Cation' always refer to a positively charged particle?

Solution 1:

Yes, cations always have a positive charge and anions always have a negative one.

The difficulty is that the term cathode and anode do not always correspond to the same pole. The cathode is that pole of an electrolytic/electrochemical cell where reduction takes place (cathodic reduction) while the anode is where oxidation takes place (anodic oxidation). Since it depends on the type of cell which will be oxidised and which will be reduced, the terms cathode and anode mean different things in different cells.

Solution 2:

From what I was taught in Middle-school, cations are those ions that move towards the cathode, likewise anions are those ions which move towards the anode.

Nope, the definitions are as follows (from the IUPAC Goldbook):

cation

A monoatomic or polyatomic species having one or more elementary charges of the proton.

anion

A monoatomic or polyatomic species having one or more elementary charges of the electron.

So, yes, cations are always positively charged, while anions are always negatively charged.