n. & v.
--n.
1. a small waterfall, esp. forming one in a series or part of a large broken waterfall.
2 a succession of electrical devices or stages in a process.
3 a quantity of material etc. draped in descending folds.
4 a process of disseminating information from senior to junior levels in an organization.
--v.intr. fall in or like a cascade.
Etymology: F f. It. cascata f. cascare to fall ult. f. L casus: see CASE(1)