cat·a·ract

[kat-uh-rakt]
noun
1.
a descent of water over a steep surface; a waterfall, especially one of considerable size.
2.
any furious rush or downpour of water; deluge.
3.
Ophthalmology.
a.
an abnormality of the eye, characterized by opacity of the lens.
b.
the opaque area.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English cataracte < Latin catar(r)acta < Greek katarráktēs waterfall, floodgate, portcullis (noun), downrushing (adj.), akin to katarássein to dash down, equivalent to kat- cata- + arássein to smite

Related forms
cat·a·rac·tal, cat·a·rac·tous, adjective
cat·a·ract·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
cataract (ˈkætəˌrækt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a large waterfall or rapids
2.  a deluge; downpour
3.  pathol
 a.  partial or total opacity of the crystalline lens of the eye
 b.  the opaque area
 
[C15: from Latin catarracta, from Greek katarrhaktēs, from katarassein to dash down, from arassein to strike]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

cataract
1430, from L. cataracta "waterfall," from Gk. katarhaktes "swooping, rushing down," from kata "down" + arhattein "to strike hard." Its alternative sense in L. of "portcullis" was probably passed through M.Fr. to form the Eng. meaning "eye disease" (1547), on the notion of "obstruction."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

cataract cat·a·ract (kāt'ə-rākt')
n.
Opacity of the lens or capsule of the eye, causing impairment of vision or blindness.

cat'a·rac'tous (-rāk'təs) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
cataract   (kāt'ə-rākt')  Pronunciation Key 

  1. An opacity of the lens of the eye or the membrane that covers it, causing impairment of vision or blindness.

  2. A waterfall in which a large volume of water flows over a steep precipice.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
cataract [(kat-uh-rakt)]

A loss in the transparency of the lens of the eye, which reduces a person's ability to see. The condition can be treated by surgically removing the lens and replacing it with an artificial one, or with corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
One section requires working your way up a waterfall, and another leads behind
  a cataract.
It sometimes occurs after certain types of eye surgery, such as cataract
  surgery.
Enough money was raised to perform cataract surgery, successfully replace his
  lenses, and enable breeding to resume.
Had to trim plastic sleeve with razor knife a bit to get to work with cataract
  oar.
Images for cataract
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