cata-

Also found in: Medical, Acronyms.

cata-

(word root) down, through

Examples of words with the root cata-: catalog

cata-

pref.

1. Down: catadromous.

2. Reverse; backward; degenerative: cataplasia.

[Greek kata-, from kata, down, downwards, thoroughly; see kat- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cata-

kata-

, before an aspirate

cath-

or before a vowel

cat-

prefix

1. down; downwards; lower in position: catadromous; cataphyll.

2. indicating reversal, opposition, degeneration, etc: cataplasia; catatonia.

[from Greek kata-, from kata. In compound words borrowed from Greek, kata- means: down (catabolism), away, off (catalectic), against (category), according to (catholic), and thoroughly (catalogue)]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cata-

or kata-,

a prefix meaning “down,” “against,” “back,” occurring orig. in loanwords from Greek: cataclysm; catalog; catalepsy. Also, esp. before a vowel or h, cat-.

[< Greek kata-, comb. form of katá down, through, against, etc.]

References in periodicals archive ?

Today the Sutton Coldfield family reveal for the first time the sheer horror of the cata- strophic crash at the hands of a teenage speeder - and Cerys's incredible will to live.

I'll never give up on my Cerys; Mum's vow to tot hurt in horror crash EXCLUSIVE

Anyone wanting a copy of the Traidcraft cata- logue for Christmas should phone Mrs Bishop, 024 7631 4402.