cataphract

[ kat-uh-frakt ]
/ ˈkæt əˌfrækt /

noun

a heavily armed war galley of ancient Greece.
a suit of ancient Roman scale armor for a man or horse.
Zoology. the bony plates or scales covering the body of certain fishes or reptiles.

Origin of cataphract

1575–85; < Latin cataphractus fully armored < Greek katáphraktos (akin to kataphrássein to clothe fully in armor), equivalent to kata- cata- + phraktós fenced, protectively clothed ( phrag- fence + -tos verbal adjective suffix)

OTHER WORDS FROM cataphract

cat·a·phrac·tic, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for cataphract