Standard Lemma guide

catacaustic

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌkætəˈkɔːstɪk/
  • UK: /ˌkætəˈkɒstɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American, cot-caught-merger: /ˌkætəˈkɑstɪk/
  • rhymes with -ɔːstɪk

1

noun

Meaning 1

a caustic curve formed by light reflecting from a curved surface

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the envelope of all rays that emanate from a specified point (the radiant point) and reflect from a given curve; the evolute of the orthotomic

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥-th2der.? Proto-Hellenic *kətá Ancient Greek κᾰτᾰ́ (kătắ) Ancient Greek κᾰτᾰ- (kătă-) English cata- English caustic English catacaustic From cata- + caustic.