cataphract
Syllables: ca·ta·phract/ˈkætəfɹækt/US/ˈkætəˌfɹækt/
cataphract noun: defensive armour covering the entire body of a soldier and often the soldier's horse as well, especially the linked mail or scale armour of some eastern nations.
Noun (1)
cataphract (plural cataphracts)
- Defensive armour covering the entire body of a soldier and often the soldier's horse as well, especially the linked mail or scale armour of some eastern nations.
- Those fighting before the standards, around the standards and (otherwise) in the front line were called principes [i.e. the centurions and the other under-officers]. This was the heavy armament, which had helmets, cataphracts, greaves, shields, large swords called spathae, and other smaller swords...1996, Vegetius [i.e., Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus], “How the Lines of the Legions are Drawn Up”, in N. P. Milner, transl., Vegetius: Epitome of Military Science […] (Translated Texts for...
- Carmine streaks stained their limbs, their tunics and cataphracts; but little of the blood was theirs. They did not move like people with injuries.2013, Stephen R[eeder] Donaldson, “Shamed Choices”, in The Last Dark (The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant; book 4), New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →ISBN, page 437
- An outer covering of some fish resembling armour or plate.
Adjective
cataphract
- Of a galley such as a trireme: with the upper tier of rowers shielded rather than exposed.
- And first we must call attention to the fact that two classes of vessels appear to have been employed, distinguished by the name of "Aphract," unfenced, or "Cataphract," fenced, according as the rowers of the upper tier were protected or exposed. Both classes were decked and floored, but the...1876 April 7, Edmond Warre, “Ancient Naval Tactics. Part I.”, in Journal of the Royal United Service Institution, Whitehall Yard, volume XX, number LXXXVIII, London: W. Mitchell and Co., […]...
- The ancients either called these ships by their class name (a number plus the -eres root) or by a descriptive term "cataphract" (kataphraktos) which means something like "armored" or "fenced" in the sense of having reinforced decks and sides to protect the oarcrew from missiles and deck-fighting....2012, William M. Murray, “Introduction: Understanding the Big Ship Phenomenon”, in The Age of Titans: The Rise and Fall of the Great Hellenistic Navies (Onassis Series in Hellenic Culture), Oxford...
- Antonyms:
- aphract
Noun (2)
cataphract (plural cataphracts)
- A soldier (especially a horseman) covered with a cataphract (etymology 1, sense 1).
- He who lookes you in the face, ſaith he ſees you, though the reſt of your bodie be within your cloathes, and if you, being an ὁωλομάχος a cataphract in your proteſtantiſh πανοπλία [panoplía, suit of armour] should for fear pull downe your beuer before you come into the liſt, your Aduerſarie for all...1635, L. I. [pseudonym; John Lechmere], “The Third Argument was about the Killing Letter; out of Origen, […]”, in The Relection of a Conference Tovching the Reall Presence. Or A Bachelovrs Censvre of...
- Immediately / Was Samſon as a public ſervant brought, / In thir ſtate Livery clad; before him Pipes / and Timbrels, on each ſide went armed guards, / Both horſe and foot before him and behind / Archers, and Slingers, Cataphracts and Spears.1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, pages 93–94...
- A galley with the upper tier of rowers shielded.
cataphract meaning in Arabic, Malay, Indonesian and Persian
cataphract in Arabic
- soldier covered with a cataphract
- كاتافراكت
cataphract in Malay
- soldier covered with a cataphract
- kataphract
cataphract in Indonesian
- soldier covered with a cataphract
- katafrak
cataphract in Persian
- soldier covered with a cataphract
- سوار زرهپوش
Examples of cataphract in a sentence
- This was the heavy armament, which had helmets, cataphracts, greaves, shields, large swords called spathae, and other smaller swords called semispathia, [...]1996, Vegetius [i.e., Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus], “How the Lines of the Legions are Drawn Up”, in N. P. Milner, transl., Vegetius...
- In the Cataphract trireme, the space allowed for each oarsman was, according to [B.] Graser, eight square feet per man, and this proportion was observed in the larger vessels up to the octireme.1876 April 7, Edmond Warre, “Ancient Naval Tactics. Part I.”, in Journal of the Royal United Service Institution, Whitehall Yard, volume...
- The Parthian cataphracts had also bows and arrows.1814, Henry Augustus; Viscount Dillon [i.e., Henry Dillon, 13th Viscount Dillon], “Of the Division of Forces into Distinct Classes”, in...
- I, 79) says that the Sarmatian cataphracts were rather helpless if knocked off their horses, just like the mediaeval knights.1930, W[illiam] W[oodthorpe] Tarn, “Lecture II: Cavalry and Elephants”, in Hellenistic Military & Naval Developments, New York, N.Y.: Biblo...
Antonyms of cataphract
Forms of cataphract
| plural | cataphracts |
|---|
Origin of cataphract
From Latin cataphractes (“suit of armour”), from Ancient Greek κατάφρακτος (katáphraktos, “suit of armour”), from κατα- (kata-, prefix indicating a great degree or intensity) + φρακτός (phraktós, “protected; fenced in”) (from φράσσω (phrássō, “to fortify, secure; to fence in”)) + -της (-tēs, suffix forming nouns indicating a state of being).
The adjective is derived from Ancient Greek κατάφρακτος (katáphraktos, “covered, enclosed, shut up; completely suited in armour”), from καταφράσσειν (kataphrássein, “to suit in armour”) (see further at etymology 1) + -τος (-tos, “suffix forming adjectives”). The noun is derived from Latin cataphractus (“wearing armour, mailed”), from Ancient Greek κατάφρακτος (katáphraktos, “covered, enclosed, shut up; completely suited in armour”); see above.
Words formed from cataphract
Questions about cataphract
- What does cataphract mean?
- Cataphract means defensive armour covering the entire body of a soldier and often the soldier's horse as well, especially the linked mail or scale armour of some eastern nations.
- What is cataphract in Arabic?
- Cataphract in Arabic is كاتافراكت. See Cataphract meaning in Arabic.
- How do you use cataphract in a sentence?
- This was the heavy armament, which had helmets, cataphracts, greaves, shields, large swords called spathae, and other smaller swords called semispathia, [...]
- What part of speech is cataphract?
- Cataphract can be a noun or an adjective.
- How do you pronounce cataphract?
- Cataphract is pronounced /ˈkætəfɹækt/ (UK).
- What is the plural of cataphract?
- The plural of cataphract is cataphracts.
Words near cataphract in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: cataphract (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-cataphract.wav.
Cite this entry: “cataphract.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cataphract. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.