cata-

prefix

down

OriginAncient Greek κᾰτᾰ- (kătă-) ← Proto-Hellenic *kətá ← Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥-th₂der.? →
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Meanings

prefix
  1. down
  2. reverse, backward, degenerative

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Indo-European*ḱm̥-th₂der.?
  4. Proto-Hellenic*kətá
  5. Ancient Greekκᾰτᾰ́ (kătắ)
  6. Ancient Greekκᾰτᾰ- (kătă-)
  7. Englishcata-

From Ancient Greek κατά (katá, “downwards”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

cata-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cata-

MLA

“cata-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cata-. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cata-,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cata-.

Source: cata- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.