Cataract

Origin

From Latin cataracta 'waterfall, portcullis', from Ancient Greek καταράκτης, from καταράσσω (katarassō, "I pour down").

Full definition of cataract

Noun

1. (obsolete) A waterspout
2. A large waterfall; steep rapids in a river.''The cataracts on the Nile helped compartiment Upper Egypt
3. A flood of water
4. An overwhelming downpour or rush''His cataract of eloquence
5. (pathology) A disease of the eye causing its opacity and, unless treated, leading to blindness.
• 1999, J J Gallo, J Busby-Whitehead, W Reichel, P V Rabins, R A Silliman, Reichel's care of the elderly Chapter , Rarely, a dense, swollen neglected cataract precipitates an angle-closure glaucoma.

Derived terms

• cataractal