cataract

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkætəɹækt/
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• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• General-American: /ˈkætəˌɹæk(t)/
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• CMU ARPABET: K AE1 T ER0 AE0 K T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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PIE word *ḱóm The noun is derived from cataracts (noun (plural only)), from Late Middle English cataract, cataracta, cateract, cateracte (“floodgate of heaven”), from Old French cataracte (modern French cataracte), and from its etymon Latin cataracta (“floodgate; waterfall”), from Ancient Greek καταρ(ρ)άκτης (katar(rh)áktēs, “(noun) waterfall; (adjective) rushing downwards”), from καταρ(ρ)ᾱ́σσω (katar(rh)ā́ssō, “to pour down; to rush downwards”) + -της (-tēs, suffix forming nouns denoting a state of being). Καταρ(ρ)ᾱ́σσω (Katar(rh)ā́ssō) is derived either: * from κᾰτᾰ- (kătă-, prefix meaning ‘downwards’) + ἀρᾰ́σσω (arắssō, “to dash to pieces; to strike”) (further etymology unknown, possibly onomatopoeic) or ῥᾱ́σσω (rhā́ssō, “to dash; to strike”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wreh2ǵh- (“to pound, strike”)); or * from καταρρηγνύναι (katarrhēgnúnai, “to break down”). The verb is derived from the noun.

From Late Middle English cataract, cataracta, cateract, cateracte (“(medicine) clouding of the lens in the eye”), from Old French cataracte (“clouding of the lens in the eye”), and then either: * from its etymon Latin cataracta (“portcullis”) (in the sense of something blocking vision as a portcullis blocks a gateway), from Ancient Greek καταρ(ρ)άκτης (katar(rh)áktēs, “act of rushing down; portcullis”) (see further at etymology 1); or * from clāthrāta (in fenestra clāthrāta (“window grating”)), an inflected form of clāthrātus (“grated, latticed, clathrate”), from clāthrī (“grate, lattic”) + -ātus (suffix denoting possession of something, forming adjectives from nouns). Clāthrī is derived from Doric Greek κλᾷθρα (klāîthra), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kleh2w- (“crook, hook; peg; to close something”).

104 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Czech: katarakt — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Dutch: cataract — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Middle Dutch: cataracte — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• French: cataracte — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• German: Katarakt — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Greek: καταρράκτης (katarráktis) — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Ancient Greek: καταρράκτης (katarrháktēs) — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Indonesian: katarak — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Italian: cateratta — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Latin: cataracta — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Marshallese: kōtrāāk — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Portuguese: catarata — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Romanian: cataractă — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Spanish: catarata — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Turkish: şelale — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Turkish: çavlan — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Turkish: kaskat — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Turkish: çağlayan — (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff (cognates) — see also waterfall
• Bulgarian: потоп (potop) — flood of water — see also flood
• Bulgarian: проливен дъжд (proliven dǎžd) — flood of water — see also flood
• Chinese Mandarin: 洪流 (hóngliú) — flood of water — see also flood
• Dutch: stortvloed — flood of water — see also flood
• Finnish: kuohu — flood of water — see also flood
• Finnish: ryöppy — flood of water — see also flood
• Finnish: tulva — flood of water — see also flood
• Japanese: 激流 (gekiryū) — flood of water — see also flood
• Russian: ли́вень (lívenʹ) — flood of water — see also flood
• Russian: пото́п (potóp) — flood of water — see also flood
• Russian: проливно́й дождь (prolivnój doždʹ) — flood of water — see also flood
• Finnish: nestejarru — type of governor used in single-acting steam engines, where a flow of water through an opening regulates the stroke
• Central Bikol: katarata — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Central Bikol: muting — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Bulgarian: катарáкт (katarákt) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Bulgarian: перде́ (perdé) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Catalan: cataracta — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Cebuano: katarak — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Cebuano: katarata — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Chinese Mandarin: 白內障 /白内障 (báinèizhàng) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Czech: katarakta — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Czech: šedý zákal — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Danish: grå stær — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Danish: katarakt — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Danish: katarakt — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Dutch: cataract — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Dutch: grijze staar — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Esperanto: katarakto — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Faroese: eygnastar — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Finnish: kaihi — clouding of the lens in the eye
• French: cataracte — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Galician: catarata — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Galician: belida — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Galician: pano — clouding of the lens in the eye
• German: Katarakt — clouding of the lens in the eye
• German: grauer Star — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Greek: καταρράκτης (katarráktis) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Ancient Greek: γλαύκωμα (glaúkōma) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Hebrew: תְּבַלּוּל (tvalúl) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Hungarian: katarakta — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Hungarian: hályog — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Hungarian: szürke hályog — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Icelandic: ský á auga — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Ilocano: busa — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Indonesian: katarak — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Irish: fionn — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Italian: cataratta — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Ivatan: ruhaw — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Japanese: 白内障 (hakunaishō) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Khmer: ទឹកធ្លាក់ (tɨk thlĕək) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Korean: 백내장 (baengnaejang) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Macedonian: перде (perde) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Malay: katarak — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Malayalam: തിമിരം (timiraṁ) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Middle English: cataract — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Navajo: anázhiin yiibaʼ — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Persian: آبمروارید (âb-morvârid) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Polish: blachmal — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Polish: bielmo — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Portuguese: catarata — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Russian: катара́кта (katarákta) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Scottish Gaelic: neul-sùla — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Serbo-Croatian: мре̏на — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Serbo-Croatian: mrȅna — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Shan: တေႃႈ (tāu) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Slovak: katarakta — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Slovak: sivý zákal — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Spanish: catarata — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Swahili: mtoto wa jicho — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Swedish: katarakt — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Swedish: grå starr — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Tagalog: katarata — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Tamil: பூ (pū) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Thai: ต้อกระจก (grà-jòk) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Tocharian B: surme — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Turkish: katarakt — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Turkish: akbasma — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Turkish: aksu — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Ukrainian: катара́кта (katarákta) — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Vietnamese: cườm khô — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Welsh: niwlen — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Zulu: umthuqu — clouding of the lens in the eye
• Finnish: kaihi — something which obscures
• Finnish: pudota — of a river, etc.: to fall in the form of a waterfall
• Finnish: syöksyä — of a river, etc.: to fall in the form of a waterfall
• Finnish: syöstä — to cause (something) to pour or rush like a waterfall