Definition of "cataract" in English

noun

1. A (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff.

   • The cataracts on the Nile helped to compartment Upper Egypt.

2. (by extension) A flood of water; specifically, steep rapids in a river.

3. (figurative) An overwhelming downpour or rush; a flood.

   • His cataract of eloquence

4. (mechanics, chiefly historical) A type of governor used in single-acting steam engines, where a flow of water through an opening regulates the stroke.

5. (obsolete, also figurative) Synonym of waterspout (“a whirlwind that forms over water”).

verb

1. (intransitive) Of a river, etc.: to fall in the form of a waterfall.

2. (transitive, figurative, rare) To cause (something) to pour or rush like a waterfall.

noun

1. (obsolete, rare) Synonym of portcullis (“a gate in the form of a grating which is lowered into place at the gateway of a castle, a fort, etc.”); also, a window grating.

2. A clouding of the lens in the eye leading to a decrease in vision.

3. A tool used for breaking flax; a brake.