Hypertext Webster Gateway: "cataract"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Cataract \Cat"a*ract\, n. [L. cataracta, catarracles, a
waterfall, Gr. ?, ?, fr. ? to break down; in the passive, to
fall or rush down (of tumors) to burst; kata` down + ? to
break.]
1. A great fall of water over a precipice; a large waterfall.
2. (Surg.) An opacity of the crystalline lens, or of its
capsule, which prevents the passage of the rays of light
and impairs or destroys the sight.
3. (Mach.) A kind of hydraulic brake for regulating the
action of pumping engines and other machines; -- sometimes
called {dashpot}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
cataract
n 1: clouding of the natural lens of the eye
2: a steep descent of the water of a river [syn: {waterfall}, {falls},
{cascade}]
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