Cataract
noun /ˈkætərækt/ — A large, powerful waterfall — or the clouding of vision that mimics its roar.
Definition
A large waterfall; a sudden rush of water in a waterfall formation; also, a medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, impairing vision.
Beyond the definition
The two meanings of cataract are connected by an ancient image — the water pouring over the eye, the clouding that arrives like water obscuring what was clear. Both meanings involve something being overwhelmed by force.
Origin & history
From Greek katarrakt s — down-rushing (from kata: down + arassein: to dash). What rushes down — the falling water, and by medical extension, the clouding that obscures vision like a veil of water.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The cataract was audible from half a mile away — a sustained roar that changed the quality of the whole valley.
He described the cataract of information arriving daily as something that needed to be stood back from, not swum in.
The surgery removed the cataracts and she saw sharply for the first time in years — the world newly legible.
Synonyms
Antonyms
trickle, seep, stillness
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Large waterfall crashing down
A massive waterfall crashes down into a dark, swirling river in a deep gorge, dwarfing an adult observer.
The large waterfall serves as a cataract. The sudden, powerful rush of water over the cliff illustrates the sheer force and scale of a massive waterfall.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration