cataphract

[ kat-uh-frakt ]

noun
  1. a heavily armed war galley of ancient Greece.

  2. a suit of ancient Roman scale armor for a man or horse.

  1. Zoology. the bony plates or scales covering the body of certain fishes or reptiles.

Origin of cataphract

1
1575–85; <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