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cataract

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Definition of cataract

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 sense 2 probably being a figurative use of this), from Greek kataraktēs 'down-rushing', from katarassein, from kata- 'down' + arassein 'strike, smash'

cataract in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of cataract in the US English dictionary

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