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View synonyms for cataract

cataract

[ 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.
    1. an abnormality of the eye, characterized by opacity of the lens.
    2. the opaque area.


cataract

/ ˈkætəˌrækt /

noun

  1. a large waterfall or rapids
  2. a deluge; downpour
  3. pathol
    1. partial or total opacity of the crystalline lens of the eye
    2. the opaque area


cataract

/ kătə-răkt′ /

  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.


cataract

  1. 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.


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Other Words From

  • cata·ractal cata·ractous adjective
  • cata·racted adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of cataract1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cataracte, from Latin catar(r)acta, from Greek katarráktēs “waterfall, floodgate, portcullis” (noun), “downrushing” (adjective), from katarássein “to dash down,” from kat- cata- + arássein “to dash, smite”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of cataract1

C15: from Latin catarracta, from Greek katarrhaktēs, from katarassein to dash down, from arassein to strike

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Example Sentences

They also protect your peepers from retinal cell damage and prevent this particular lightwave from contributing to the formation of cataracts and eye cancer.

He spent two years without his sight, needing inmates to read his medical bottles, simply because the prisons wouldn’t schedule him to have cataract surgery.

From Time

The same goes for cataracts, pneumonia, tetanus, asthma, and liver disease.

Another senior was offered an appointment at night but cannot drive in the dark because of cataracts.

She has made an appointment for cataract surgery, and he has scheduled a colonoscopy and hopes to do the same for a dental visit.

The Old Cataract Hotel, built in 1899, is owned by the Egyptian government but managed by Sofitel, a French luxury hotel group.

Redundancy in general remains an issue for Wolcott: “white-boned,” “pale-moon,” “bulk-sized,” “streaming cataract,” “forlorn rue.”

A vast mountain of green water lifted up its bulk and fell upon us in a ravening cataract.

It was not a sea that came away; it was a mere enormous cataract that poured on irresistibly.

Even as he spoke the dull growl of a cataract was heard, and, a few minutes later, the party came upon the ford of the river.

The Baron de Wentzel was the most famous oculist of the day, and the discoverer of operations for cataract.

See, Wharton, there is a man crossing in the very eddies of the cataract, and in a skiff no bigger than an egg-shell.

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