cataract

cataract — noun

1. a medical condition in which the lens inside the eye becomes cloudy, making it d

1.nounB2
Definition

a medical condition in which the lens inside the eye becomes cloudy, making it difficult to see clearly. A cataract can form slowly as a person ages and may need an operation to remove it.

Example

Aunt Beatriz had cataract surgery last spring and says she can see colours again.

cataract surgery — common collocation for the medical procedure

Dr. Okafor told Ravi his right eye was developing a cataract and needed monitoring.

develop a cataract — typical verb collocation for onset

Common collocations
  • develop a cataract
  • cataract surgery
  • cataract removal
  • age-related cataract
  • cataract operation
  • have a cataract
  • treat a cataract
  • diagnose a cataract
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • clear lens

    the opposite condition — a healthy, transparent lens

Grammar Patterns

have/get + cataract

cataract surgery

develop a cataract

Usage Note

Common in medical contexts, especially discussing age-related vision problems. 'Cataract' is the condition itself; the surgical procedure is called cataract surgery or cataract removal.

Common Mistakes

My grandfather has a cataract in his knee.
My grandfather has a cataract in his eye.
Cataracts only affect the lens of the eye, not other body parts.
She went blind because of cataracts in both ears.
She went blind because of cataracts in both eyes.
Cataracts affect vision, not hearing.

2. a very large, steep waterfall — often used to describe powerful rivers or dramat

2.nounC1
Definition

a very large, steep waterfall — often used to describe powerful rivers or dramatic natural scenery in geography or literature.

Example

The cataracts of the Nile once blocked ships from travelling upstream into central Africa.

the cataracts of [river] — geographical phrase for a series of waterfalls

From the lookout the children saw a great cataract crashing into the misty gorge below.

a great cataract — typical literary collocation; passive view description

Common collocations
  • great cataract
  • cataracts of the river
  • mighty cataract
  • roaring cataract
  • the cataracts of [place name]
Synonyms
  • waterfall

    the common everyday word for falling water

  • cascade

    often suggests smaller, step-like falls rather than a single big drop

  • falls

    shorter synonym used in place names (Niagara Falls)

Grammar Patterns

the cataracts of [place]

a great cataract

Usage Note

In modern everyday English, 'waterfall' is far more common. 'Cataract' is mainly found in formal writing, historical accounts, or poetic descriptions of large waterfalls. The plural form 'cataracts' is often used for a series of waterfalls along a river.

Word family

  • cataractous
    adjective

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

'Waterfall' is the most common and neutral term for any flow of water dropping from a height. 'Cascade' usually describes a series of small, step-like drops rather than a single vertical plunge, and it carries a lighter, more graceful connotation. 'Falls' is a shortened form used in place names (Niagara Falls, Iguazu Falls) and often implies a large volume of water. 'Cataract' is the most formal and literary of the group; it refers specifically to a large, powerful waterfall and appears mainly in geographical descriptions, historical travel writing, or poetry. For example, you would tell a friend to visit Niagara Falls, but a historian might write about the cataracts blocking ancient trade routes along the Nile.

waterfall ↗cascadefallscataract ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cataract surgery
  • cataract patient
  • cataract treatment
  • cataract removal

Phrases

  • develop a cataract
  • have cataract surgery
  • the cataracts of the Nile

Prepositions

  • cataract in [eye]
  • cataract of [river]

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'cataracta' meaning 'waterfall, portcullis, floodgate', borrowed from Greek 'kataraktēs' (καταράκτης) meaning 'down-rushing, waterfall, portcullis'. The medical sense arose in the 1500s because doctors thought the cloudy film in the eye resembled water rushing down — like a waterfall blocking the view.