cataract

Everyday

1. A cataract is a cloudy patch in the lens of the eye that makes things look blurry; it is common in older people and can be fixed by an operation. tree →
2. A cataract is also a large, powerful waterfall or a stretch of rough, rushing water in a river, like the cataracts of the River Nile. tree →

In the lessons

In science and health lessons, cataracts explain how the clear lens of the eye helps us see, and how doctors can replace a cloudy lens with a plastic one. In geography and history, the cataracts of the Nile were rocky rapids that boats in ancient Egypt could not easily pass. In family life, a grandparent may «have a cataract operation». Phrases: «cataract operation», «cataract surgery», «the Nile cataracts».

Examples

• Grandma had a cataract operation and can see clearly again. tree →
• Cataracts make things look foggy. tree →
• The doctor said Grandad has a cataract in his left eye. tree →
• The boat could not sail past the cataract on the Nile. tree →
• The cataract roared as the river fell over the rocks. tree →
• Dogs can get cataracts too. tree →
• After the cataract was removed, colours looked brighter. tree →
• The waves of all the world seemed to whirl past them in one huge, green cataract. tree →

Note

Countable noun: a cataract, cataracts. It is not a skin on the eye; it is clouding inside the lens. Pronounced «KAT-a-rakt».

In Jewish tradition

Here it means a rushing waterfall or channel of falling water, not an eye disease.

Interpretation. The psalmist feels overwhelmed by troubles, like deep waters crashing over him. Commentators read it as the sense of being swept by God's powerful waves, yet still calling to Him.

Examples

• Deep calleth unto deep at the voice of Thy cataracts; all Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over me. (Writings PSA.42.8, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Countable noun: a cataract, cataracts. It is not a skin on the eye; it is clouding inside the lens. Pronounced «KAT-a-rakt».