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, adjectiveWords nearby cataphract
catanzaro,
cataphasia,
cataphasis,
cataphora,
cataphoresis,
cataphract,
cataphracted,
cataphylaxis,
cataphyll,
cataplane,
cataplasia
Example sentences from the Web for cataphract
Cataphract, kat′a-frakt, n. (Milton) a soldier in full armour.