Catamount. See Cat.
Catapan, kat′a-pan, n. the governor of Calabria and Apulia for the Byzantine emperor. [Acc. to Littré, from Gr. katepanō tōn axiōmatōn, 'he who is placed over the dignities.']
Cataphonics, kat-a-fon′iks, n. the science of reflected sounds.—adj. Cataphon′ic. [Gr. kata, against, phonē, sound.]
Cataphract, kat′a-frakt, n. (Milton) a soldier in full armour. [Gr. kataphraktēs, a coat-of-mail—kata, inten., and phrass-ein, to enclose, protect.]
Cataphyllary, kat-a-fil′ar-i, adj. pertaining to such rudimentary scale-leaves as are found on various parts of plants, esp. underground.—n. Cataphyll′um. [Gr. kata, down, phyllon, leaf.]
Cataphysical, kat-a-fis′i-kal, adj. (rare) unnatural. [Gr. kata, down, against, physis, nature.]
Cataplasm, kat′a-plazm, n. a plaster or poultice. [Gr. kataplasma, a plaster—kata-plassein, to plaster over.]
Cataplexy, kat′a-plex-i, n. the kind of mesmeric sleep of animals under a sudden shock of terror—the state of 'shamming death.'—adj. Cataplec′tic. [Gr. kataplēssein, to strike down.]
Catapult, kat′a-pult, n. anciently an engine of war, resembling the ballista, for throwing stones, arrows, &c.: a small forked stick having an elastic string fixed to the two prongs, used by boys for throwing small stones.—adj. Catapul′tic.—n. Catapultier′. [L. catapulta—Gr. katapeltēs—kata, down, pallein, to throw.]
Cataract, kat′a-rakt, n. a great fall of water, water-spout, &c.: a waterfall or cascade: an opaque condition of the lens of the eye, painless, unaccompanied by inflammation, occasioning blindness, simply by obstructing the passage of the light. [L. cataracta—Gr. kata, down, arass-ein, to dash, to rush.]