Meaning

noun an eye disease that involves the clouding or opacification of the natural lens of the eye

noun a large waterfall; violent rush of water over a precipice

originPIE word *ḱóm From Late Middle English cataractes, cataractis, cateractes, used to translate καταρράκται (katarrháktai, “(probably) floodgates, sluices”) in the Septuagint and cataractae (“floodgates, sluices”) in the Vulgate versions of the Bible. The Middle English words are plural forms of cataract, cataracta, cateract, cateracte (“floodgate of heaven”), from Old French cataracte (modern…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0