Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Copious discharge of mucus associated with inflammation of mucous membranes, especially of the nose and throat.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Inflammation of a mucous membrane, especially of the air-passages of the head and throat, with an exudation on its free surface containing mucin and epithelial cells, but not involving a destruction of the epithelial layer or the formation of patches of false membrane, as occurs in diphtheritic inflammation: as, gastric catarrh; vaginal catarrh.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Med.) An inflammatory affection of any mucous membrane, in which there are congestion, swelling, and an altertion in the quantity and quality of mucus secreted.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun pathology inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose and throat.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun inflammation of the nose and throat with increased production of mucus

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English catarre, from Old French catarrhe, from Late Latin catarrhus, from Greek katarrous, from katarrein, to flow down : kata-, cata- + rhein, to flow; see sreu- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Borrowed from Ancient Greek κατάρροος, which is derived from καταρρέω (katarréō, "I flow down"), which is composed of κατά (katá, "down") and ῥέω (rhéō, "I flow").

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