cata-

American  

especially before a vowel, cat-;

1. a prefix meaning “down,” “against,” “back,” occurring originally in loanwords from Greek (cataclysm; catalog; catalepsy ); on this model, used in the formation of other compound words (catagenesis; cataphyll ).

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cata- British  

prefix

1. down; downwards; lower in position

   catadromous

   cataphyll

2. indicating reversal, opposition, degeneration, etc

   cataplasia

   catatonia

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Etymology

Origin of cata-

< Greek kata-, combining form of katá down, through, against, according to, towards, during

Example Sentences

Wish we could find a few cata- combs in New York's subsoil.

From Time Magazine Archive

Th- th- there is an a- a- at- atmosphere here li- li- like th- th- that of the cata- catacombs, like that in the document room of the former Cha-Cha-Chamber of Justice at Wetzlar.

From The Awakening of Spring A Tragedy of Childhood by Wedekind, Frank