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cascade

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Cascade
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cas⋅cade

  [kas-keyd] noun, verb, -cad⋅ed, -cad⋅ing.
Use cascade in a Sentence
–noun
1. a waterfall descending over a steep, rocky surface.
2. a series of shallow or steplike waterfalls, either natural or artificial.
3. anything that resembles a waterfall, esp. in seeming to flow or fall in abundance: a cascade of roses covering the wall.
4. (in a drain or sewer) a chain of steps for dissipating the momentum of falling water in a steep place in order to maintain a steady rate of flow.
5. an arrangement of a lightweight fabric in folds falling one over another in random or zigzag fashion.
6. a type of firework resembling a waterfall in effect.
7. Chemistry. a series of vessels, from each of which a fluid successively overflows to the next, thus presenting a large absorbing surface, as to a gas.
8. Electricity. an arrangement of component devices, as electrolytic cells, each of which feeds into the next in succession.
9. Biochemistry. a series of reactions catalyzed by enzymes that are activated sequentially by successive products of the reactions, resulting in an amplification of the initial response.
–verb (used without object)
10. to fall in or like a cascade.
–verb (used with object)
11. to cause to fall in a cascade.
12. Electricity. to arrange (components) in a cascade.
Origin:
1635–45; < F < It cascata, equiv. to casc(are) to fall (< VL *cāsicāre, equiv. to cās(us) fallen (ptp. of cadere) + -icā- formative v. suffix + -re inf. ending) + -ata -ade 1

Related forms:
cas⋅cad⋅er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Cascade
Choose From A Selection Of Lacrosse Equipment. Helmets, Sticks, & More!
www.Lacrosse.com/Cascade
Cascade Lacrosse Gear
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www.WorldLacrosseShop.com
cas·cade   (kā-skād')   
n.  

  1. A waterfall or a series of small waterfalls over steep rocks.

  2. Something, such as lace, thought to resemble a waterfall or series of small waterfalls, especially an arrangement or fall of material.

  3. A succession of stages, processes, operations, or units.

  4. Electronics A series of components or networks, the output of each of which serves as the input for the next.

  5. A chemical or physiological process that occurs in successive stages, each of which is dependent on the preceding one, and often producing a cumulative effect: an enzymatic cascade.

intr. & tr.v.   cas·cad·ed, cas·cad·ing, cas·cades
To fall or cause to fall in or as if in a cascade.

[French, from Italian cascata, from cascare, to fall, from Vulgar Latin *casicāre, from Latin cadere; see kad- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cascade 
1641, from Fr., from It. cascata "waterfall," from cascare "to fall," from V.L. *casicare, from L. casum, pp. of cadere "to fall" (see case (1)). The verb is attested from 1702.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: cas·cade
Pronunciation: (")kas-'kAd
Function: noun
: a molecular, biochemical, or physiological process occurring in a succession ofstages each of which is closely related to or depends on the output of the previous stage cascade of enzymatic reactions> cascade of events comprising the immuneresponse>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

cascade cas·cade (kā-skād')
n.
A succession of actions, processes, or operations, as of a physiological process.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

cascade
1. A huge volume of spurious error-messages output by a compiler with poor error recovery. Too frequently, one trivial syntax error (such as a missing ")" or "}") throws the parser out of synch so that much of the remaining program text, whether correct or not, is interpreted as garbaged or ill-formed.
2. A chain of Usenet followups, each adding some trivial variation or riposte to the text of the previous one, all of which is reproduced in the new message; an include war in which the object is to create a sort of communal graffito.
3. A collection of interconneced networking devices, typically hubs, that allows those devices to act together as a logical repeater.
[The Jargon File]
(1997-07-17)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Encyclopedia

cascade

waterfall, especially a series of small falls, consisting of water descending over rocks or boulders. It may be natural or it may be artificial. The cascade has often been used as a feature of formal gardens.

Learn more about cascade with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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