Emily Dickinson Lexicon

catacomb, n. [Fr. catacombe.]

Subterranean burial place; passage with recesses used as tombs for the dead.

cataract, n. [Fr. cataracte, waterfall, portcullis, floodgate < Gk. καταρ(ρ)άκτης, down-rushing.]

Waterfall; cascade; flood; downpour; deluge; torrent of water; [fig.] dusk; cloud cover; darkness after the sun goes down; [wordplay] opacity of the eye; reduced vision; cloudiness in the lens of the eye; visual impairment treated with iodine.

catch (-ing, caught), v. [Me cache-n < late L. capt-us, taken captive.] (webplay: book).

1. Hear; discern; perceive.
2. Clutch; grab; grasp.
3. Reflect; shine forth..
4. Seize; intercept; gather in passing through the air.
5. Get; obtain; secure; maintain.

caterpillar, n. [Promp. Parv. catyrpel; compared with OFr chatepelos, hairy or downy cat. ONFr. catepelo associated with the well-known word piller, pillager, destroyer.] (webplay: emerges, feet).

Larva; fuzzy worm; middle stage form for a butterfly.

cathedral, adj. [noun modifier; Fr. < med. L. cathedralis, of or belonging to the (bishop's) seat.] (webplay: aisles).

Sanctuary; chancel; large chapel; house of worship; beautiful church building; [fig.] hallowed; consecrated.

Cato (-'s), proper n. [L. catus, sharp, shrewd, cunning.]

1. Marcus Porcius Cato (95-46 B.C.); Cato the younger; vocal opponent to Caesar; Roman politician, orator, and military hero; uncle of Brutus; father of Portia; [fig.] a persuasive speech maker; a stoic orator; a lecturing moralist.
2. Phrase. “Cato's daughter”: Portia; wife of Brutus; direct quote from Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar 2.1.295; [fig.] Edward Dickinson; father of Emily Dickinson; [metaphor] God; Father in Heaven; higher power in nature and the universe.

cattle, n. [ME catel < L. capitale, head, principle, capital, used in medieval times in the sense 'principle sum of money, capital, wealth, property'. Has in modern times passed into certain use as chattel.] (webplay: herd, tillage).

Livestock; kine; bovine animals; herd of cows.

caucus, n. [New England dialect; origin obscure.]

Confederacy; private meeting; gathering of the leaders of a political party, prior to an election; assembly of representatives to select candidates for office; [word play] cacophony; clamor; opposite of chorus.

caught, v. [past tense form; see catch, v.]

cause (-s), n. [Fr. < L. chose, matter, thing.] (webplay: mind, power).

1. Justification; motive; necessity; occasion; reason; source of an effect.
2. Crusade; goal; interest; idea served with dedication.