Angora cat, blind cat, See under Angora, Blind. -- Black cat the fisher. See under Black. -- Cat and dog, like a cat and dog; quarrelsome; inharmonious. "I am sure we have lived a cat and dog life of it." Coleridge. -- Cat block (Naut.), a heavy iron-strapped block with a large hook, part of the tackle used in drawing an anchor up to the cathead. -- Cat hook (Naut.), a strong hook attached to a cat block. - - Cat nap, a very short sleep. [Colloq.] -- Cat o' nine tails, an instrument of punishment consisting of nine pieces of knotted line or cord fastened to a handle; -- formerly used to flog offenders on the bare back. -- Cat's cradle, game played, esp. by children, with a string looped on the fingers so, as to resemble small cradle. The string is transferred from the fingers of one to those of another, at each transfer with a change of form. See Cratch, Cratch cradle. -- To let the cat out of the bag, to tell a secret, carelessly or willfully. [Colloq.] -- Bush cat, the serval. See Serval.
Cat (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. tted; p. pr. & vb. n. Catting.] (Naut.) To bring to the cathead; as, to cat an anchor. See Anchor. Totten.
Cat"a (?). [Gr. kata`.] The Latin and English form of a Greek preposition, used as a prefix to signify down, downward, under, against, contrary or opposed to, wholly, completely; as in cataclysm, catarrh. It sometimes drops the final vowel, as in catoptric; and is sometimes changed to cath, as in cathartic, catholic.
Cat`a*bap"tist (?), n. [Pref. cata + aptist. See Baptist.] (Eccl.) One who opposes baptism, especially of infants. [Obs.] Featley.
||Cat`a*ba"sion (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. kataba`sion.] A vault under altar of a Greek church.
Cat`a*bi*ot"ic (?), a. See under Force.
Cat`a*caus"tic (?), a. [Pref. cata + caustic.] (Physics) Relating to, or having the properties of, a caustic curve formed by reflection. See Caustic, a. Nichol.
Cat`a*caus"tic, n. (Physics) A caustic curve formed by reflection of light. Nichol.
Cat`a*chre"sis (?), n. [L. fr. Gr. &?; misuse, fr. &?; to misuse; kata` against + &?; to use.] (Rhet.) A figure by which one word is wrongly put for another, or by which a word is wrested from its true signification; as, "To take arms against a sea of troubles". Shak. "Her voice was but the shadow of a sound." Young.
{ Cat`a*chres"tic (?), Cat`a*chres"tic*al (?), } a. Belonging to, or in the manner of, a catachresis; wrested from its natural sense or form; forced; far-fetched.
-- Cat`a*chres"tic*al*ly, adv.
[A] catachrestical and improper way of speaking.
Jer. Taylor.
Cat"a*clysm (?), n. [L. cataclysmos, Gr. kataklysmo`s, from &?; to dash over, inundate; kata` downward, against + &?; to wash or dash over: cf. F. cataclysme.] 1. An extensive overflow or sweeping flood of water; a deluge.
2. (Geol.) Any violent catastrophe, involving sudden and extensive changes of the earth's surface.
{ Cat`a*clys"mal (?), Cat`a*clys"mic (?), } a. Of or pertaining to a cataclysm.
Cat`a*clys"mist (?), n. One who believes that the most important geological phenomena have been produced by cataclysms.
Cat"a*comb (?), n. [It. catacomba, fr. L. catacumba perh. from Gr. kata` downward, down + ky`mbh cavity.] A cave, grotto, or subterraneous place of large extent used for the burial of the dead; -- commonly in the plural.
&fist; The terms is supposed to have been applied originally to the tombs under the church of St. Sebastian in Rome. The most celebrated catacombs are those near Rome, on the Appian Way, supposed to have been the place or refuge and interment of the early Christians; those of Egypt, extending for a wide distance in the vicinity of Cairo; and those of Paris, in abandoned stone quarries, excavated under a large portion of the city.
Cat`a*cous"tic (?), n. [Pref. cata + acoustics: cf. F. caraconstique.] (Physics) That part of acoustics which treats of reflected sounds or echoes See Acoustics. Hutton.
{ Cat`a*di*op"tric (?), Cat`a*di*op"tric*al (?), } a. [Pref. cata + dioptric: cf. F. catadioptrique.] (Physics) Pertaining to, produced by, or involving, both the reflection and refraction of light; as, a catadioptric light. Hutton.
Cat`a*di*op"trics (?), n. The science which treats of catadioptric phenomena, or of the used of catadioptric instruments.
Cat"a*drome (?), n. [Gr. kata`dromos race course; kata` down + dro`mos course.] 1. A race course.