cataphract
[ kat-uh-frakt ]
noun
a heavily armed war galley of ancient Greece.
a suit of ancient Roman scale armor for a man or horse.
Zoology. the bony plates or scales covering the body of certain fishes or reptiles.
Origin of cataphract
11575–85; <Latin cataphractus fully armored <Greek katáphraktos (akin to kataphrássein to clothe fully in armor), equivalent to kata-cata- + phraktós fenced, protectively clothed (phrag- fence + -tos verbal adjective suffix)
Other words from cataphract
- cat·a·phrac·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
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