Wiktionary

cataract

English

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Devil's Throat, Iguaçu fall's largest cataract (2)

Etymology

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From Middle English cataract, cateract, cateracte, cataracta, from Latin cataracta (“waterfall, portcullis”), from Ancient Greek καταρράκτης (katarrháktēs), from καταράσσω (katarássō, “I pour down”), from κατα- (kata-, “down”) + ἀράσσω (arássō, “to strike, dash”).[1][2] Its pathological sense probably came from its alternative sense in Latin, “portcullis”, through French through the notion of “obstruction”, in this case, of vision.[2]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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cataract (plural cataracts)

  1. (obsolete) A waterspout.
  3. A large waterfall; steep rapids in a river.
    The cataracts on the Nile helped to compartment Upper Egypt.
  4. A flood of water.
    (Can we add an example for this sense?)
  5. (figuratively) An overwhelming downpour or rush.
    His cataract of eloquence
  6. (pathology) A clouding of the lens in the eye leading to a decrease in vision.
    • 1999, J. J. Gallo, J. Busby-Whitehead, W. Reichel, P. V. Rabins, R. A. Silliman, Reichel’s Care of the Elderly, page 563:
      Rarely, a dense, swollen neglected cataract precipitates an angle-closure glaucoma.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Cebuano: katarak
  • → Marshallese: kōtrāāk

Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

References

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  1. ^ Cataract § Etymology
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “cataract”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Further reading

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Dutch

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle Dutch cataracte, from Latin cataracta, from Ancient Greek καταρράκτης (katarrháktēs).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˌkaː.taːˈrɑkt/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: ca‧ta‧ract
  • Rhymes: -ɑkt

Noun

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cataract f (plural cataracten, diminutive cataractje n)

  1. cataract, waterfall
  2. (pathology) cataract

Synonyms

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Descendants

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Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Latin cataracta, from Ancient Greek καταρράκτης (katarrháktēs).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈkatərakt(ə)/, /ˈkatərak/, /ˈkatəraktaː/

Noun

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cataract (plural cateractes)

  1. (medicine) cataract
  2. (Christianity) A gate guarding the entrance to Heaven.

Descendants

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References

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