cataract

Did You Know?

The meaning of "cataract" we're most familiar with is also the oldest. It dates to the 14th century and comes from the Latin word cataracta, meaning "portcullis," probably because the ocular cataract obstructs vision in a way reminiscent of the way the portcullis's heavy iron grating obstructs passage into a fortress or castle. Latin cataracta has another meaning, however-"waterfall"-and that meaning gave us the water-related meanings that came in later centuries. The connection between the two Latin meanings can be seen in katarassein, the Greek source of cataracta. It means "to dash down"-an action we see in both the slamming portcullis and the cascading waterfall.