■ noun
1》 a small waterfall, especially one in a series.
2》 a mass of something that falls, hangs, or occurs in copious quantities: a ~ of pink bougainvillea.
3》 a process by which information or knowledge is passed on successively.
4》 a succession of devices or stages in a process, each of which triggers or initiates the next.
■ verb
1》 pour downwards rapidly and in large quantities.
2》 pass (information or knowledge) on to a succession of others.
3》 arrange in a series or sequence.
Origin
C17: from Fr., from Ital. cascata , from cascare 'to fall', based on L. casus (see case 1 ).