cataract

 
Pronunciation: /ˈkatərakt/

noun

  • 1a large waterfall: the river descends in a succession of spectacular cataracts
  • a sudden rush of water; a downpour: the rain enveloped us in a deafening cataract
  • 2a medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, resulting in blurred vision: she had cataracts in both eyes

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin cataracta 'waterfall, floodgate', also 'portcullis' (medical cataract (sense 2) probably being a figurative use of this), from Greek kataraktēs 'down-rushing', from katarassein, from kata- 'down' + arassein 'strike, smash'