catharize 
<Ka8ap6c, clean, pure: see cathartic.} To ren- 
der absolutely clean, as a glass vessel, by the 
use of solvents. 
catharma (ka-thar'ma), n. [NL., < Gr. noBapfia, 
refuse, residuum, < nadalpeiv, cleanse, purge: 
see cathartic.'} In mod., excrement; anything 
purged from the body, naturally or by art. 
cat-harpin, cat-harping (kat'har"pin, -ping), 
n. [Origin obscure.] Naut., one of the short 
Cat-harpius, a a. 
862 
ing the head and part of the neck more or less completely 
bare of feathers, and sometimes caruncular ; the eyes Hush 
with the side of the head and without superciliary shield ; 
the plumage somber in color ; the wings long and ample ; 
the tail moderate; the plumage without af tershafts ; two 
carotids and a large crop ; the beak toothless, contracted 
in the continuity, with large perforate nostrils ; the in- 
dex-digit clawed ; the oil-gland tuftless ; no syrinx nor 
c;cca- and diurnal habits and gressorial gait. They sub- 
sist entirely on carrion. See cut under Cathartes. 
Cathartides (ka-thar'ti-des), n. pi. [NL., < 
Cathartes + -ides.'} A superfamily or suborder 
of raptorial birds, conterminous with the fam- 
ily Cathartiilw; the American vultures. 
Ca'thartinse (kath-ar-ti'ne), n.pl. [NL., < Ca- 
thartes + -inai.~] The American vultures as a 
subfamily of the family rulturidai. [Not in use.] 
cathartogenic (ka-thiir-to-jen'ik), a. [< ca- 
thart-ic + -genie, < L. / "gen, produce.] Derived 
from cathartic acid Cathartogenic acid, a yel- 
lowish-brown powder produced from cathartic acid by 
boiling with acids. 
cathartomannit (ka-thar-to-man'it), . [< 
catliart-ic + manna.'} A peculiar non-ferment- 
able crystalline saccharine principle found in 
senna. 
Catharus (kath'a-rus), n. [NL. (Bonaparte, 
1850), < Gr. Kaffapof, clear, pure, clean : see ca- 
thartic.'} A genus of thrushes, of the family 
so that the yards may be braced up sharply. 
Our ship was nothing but a mass of hides, from the cat- 
liar pint to the water's edge. 
M. 11. Dana, Jr., Before the Mast, p. 284. 
catharsis (ka-thar'sis), n. [NL., < Gr. nd8apais, 
purification, purgation, < itaoaipetv, cleanse, pu- 
rify: see cathartic.} In med., a natural or ar- 
tificial purgation of any passage, especially 
the bowels. Also called apocatharsis. 
cathartate (ka-thar'tat), n. [< cathart(ic) 4 
-afc 1 .] A salt of cathartic acid. 
Cathartes (ka-thar'tez), n. [NL. (> F. ca- 
tharte), < Gr. Kofaprfc a cleanser, < xmalpetv, 
cleanse : see cathartic.} A genus of American 
_. . 
1. A large timber or 
mene is an example. 
cat-haws (kat'haz), n. pi. The fruit of the 
whitethorn. Brockett. FProv. 
cat-head (kat'hed), n. 
heavy iron beam 
projecting from 
each bow of a 
ship, and hay- 
ing sheaves in 
its outer end. 
Its use is to afford 
a support by which 
to lift the anchor 
after it has been 
raised to the wa- 
ter's edge by the 
chain. The inner 
end of the cat-head, 
which is fastened 
to the ship's beam 
or frame, is called 
the cat-tail. 
A, Cat-head! B, Cat-block; C, Cat-fall, 
the an- 
Turkey-buzzard ( Cathartes aura ). 
vultures, giving name to the family Cathartidu'. 
Formerly applied to all the species indiscriminately ; now 
usually restricted to the turkey-buzzard, C. aura, and its 
immediate congeners. 
cathartic (ka-thar'tik), a. and n. [= F. cathar- 
tique, < Gr. KaOaprtKdc, cleansing, purgative, < 
KaSaipeiv, cleanse, purify, < Ka6ap6c, pure, clean, 
akin to L. castus, pure, > E. chaste, q. v.] I. a. 
1. Purgative; purifying. In medicine often restrict- 
ed to the second grade of purgation, laxative being used 
for the first, and drastic for the third. Also apocathartic. 
The civil virtues wisdom, courage, temperance, and 
justice are retained; but higher than these are placed 
the purifying or cathartic virtues, by which the soul 
emancipates itself from subjection to sense. 
G. P. Fisher, Begin, of Christianity, p. 179. 
2. Pertaining to or derived from cathartin. 
Cathartic acid, a glucoside of weak acid character, 
black and uncrystallizable. It is the active purgative prin- 
ciple of senna. 
II. n. A cathartic medicine ; a purge; a pur- 
gative. 
cathartical (ka-thar'ti-kal), a. Same as ca- 
thartic. 
cathartically (ka-th&r'ti-kal-i), adv. In the 
manner of a cathartic. 
catharticalness (ka-thar'ti-kal-nes), . The 
quality of promoting discharges from the bow- 
els. 
Oathartidae (ka-thar'ti-de), 71. pi. [NL., < Ca- 
thartes + -idee.} A family of vultures, of the 
order Baptores and suborder Cathartides. They 
are confined to America, and chiefly inhabit its warmer 
parts. The Andean condor (Sarcorhamphus r/ri/phus), the 
Californian condor (Paeudogryphus cali/oniianus), the 
king-vulture (Sarcorhamphus papa), the turkey-buzzard 
(Cathartes aura), and the carrion-crow (Catharista atrata) 
are the leading species. They are characterized by hav- 
We pulled a long, heavy, silent pull, and 
chor came to the cat-head pretty slowly. 
7?. H. Dana, Jr., Before the Mast, p. 128. 
2. In mining, a small capstan. 3. Nodular or 
ball ironstone. [North. Eng.] 
The nodules with leaves in them, called cat-heads, seem 
to consist of a sort of ironstone. Woodward, Fossils. 
Cat-head stopper (naut.), a piece of rope or chain by 
which the anchor is hung at the cat-head. Also called 
cat-stopper. 
cathead (kat'hed), v. t. Naut., to attach to the 
cat-head. 
cathedra (kath'e-dra or ka-the'dra), n. ; pi. 
cathedra! (-dre). ' [=' Sp. cdtedra = Pg. cathe- 
dra = It. cattedra = D. G. Dan. katheder = Sw. 
Jcateder, < L. (ML.) cathedra, < Gr. KaBedpa, a 
seat, bench, pulpit, < Kara, down, + eSpa, a 
seat, < efeoftu (/ *ti) = L. sedere = E. sit, q. v. 
Hence (fromL. cathedra, through F.) E. chair 
and chaise : 
see chair. Cf. 
cathedral.} 1. 
The throne or 
seat of a bishop 
in the cathedral 
or episcopal 
church of his di- 
Oatherpes 
< cathedra, a chair, esp. a bishop's throne, also 
applied to the cathedral church itself: see 
cathedra.} 1. a. 1. Containing a bishop's seat, 
or used especially for episcopal services ; serv- 
ing or adapted for use as a cathedral: as, a 
cathedral church. 
The parish church of those days has become the cathe- 
dral church of the new diocese of Newcastle. 
Churchman (New York), Dec. 17, 1887. 
2. Pertaining to a cathedral; connected with or 
suggesting a cathedral ; characteristic of cathe- 
drals: as, a cathedral service; cathedral music ; 
the cathedral walks of a forest. 
Huge cathedral fronts of every age, 
Grave, florid, stern, as far as eye could see. 
Tennyson, Sea Dreams. 
3. Emanating from or relating to a chair of 
office or official position ; hence, having or dis- 
playing authority; authoritative. 
Hood an ass in rev'rend purple, 
So you can hide his two ambitious ears, 
And he shall pass for a cathedral doctor. 
A writer must be enviably confident of his own percep- 
tive inerrancy, thus to set up, with scornful air and ca- 
thedral dogmatism, his individual aversion and approba- 
tion as criteria for the decisions of his fellow-beings. 
F. Hall, Mod. Eng., p. 196. 
Cathedral beardt, a style of beard worn by clergymen 
in the sixteenth century in England, long, full, and flow- 
ing on the breast. Fail-halt. Cathedral church. See 
II. Cathedral music, music composed to suit the form 
of service used in cathedrals. 
II. n. The principal church in a diocese, which 
is specially the 
church of the 
bishop: so call- 
ed from the fact 
that it con- 
tains the epis- 
copal chair or 
cathedra. Many 
cathedrals, partic- 
ularly the French 
and Italian, furnish 
the most magnifi- 
cent examples of 
the architecture of 
the middle ages. 
Those in England 
are among the 
most interesting, 
though, unlike the 
continental cathe- 
drals, they were de- 
signed originally, 
almost without ex- 
ception, not as met- 
ropolitan, but as 
monastic churches. 
The cut shows the 
arrangement of the 
various parts in 
Wells cathedral, 
one of the most 
beautiful in Eng- 
land. For the offi- 
cial establishment 
of a cathedral, see 
chapter, 2. 
Plan of Wells Cathedral, England. 
A, apse or apsis ; B, altar, altar-platform, 
and altar-steps ; D, E, eastern or lesser tran- 
sept ; F, G, western or greater transept ; H, 
central tower ; /, y, western towers ; K, north 
porch ; L, library or register ; At, principal 
western doorway; N, " 
, 
t N, western side 
doors ; O, cloister-yard or garth ; P. Q, north 
and south aisles of choir ; 5, S, east and west 
aisles of transept; T, V, north and south 
aisles of nave ; K t R, chapels ; Y, rood-screen 
or organ-loft ; W , altar of lady chapel. 
Cathedra in the Cathedral of Augsburg, 
Germany. Probably of oth century. (From 
Viollet-le-Duc's " Diet, de 1' Architecture.") 
ocese. Formerly 
the bishop's throne 
or cathedra was 
generally situated 
at the east end of 
the apse, behind 
the altar, and was 
often approached 
by a flight of steps; 
but it is now al- 
most universally 
placed on one side 
of the choir, usual- 
ly the south side. 
That of St. Peter's at Rome is especially honored as reputed 
to have been the chair of St. Peter, and it is now inclosed 
in a bronze covering. 
Hence 2. The official chair of any one entitled 
or professing to teach with authority, as a pro- 
fessor Ex cathedra, literally, from the chair ; hence, 
with authority ; authoritatively. 
cathedral (ka-the'dral), a. and n. [First m 
the phrase cathedral church (so in ME.), trans- 
lating ML. ecclesia cathedralis, a church con- 
taining the bishop's throne: L. ecclesia, an as- 
sembly, ML. a church; ML. cathedralis, adj., 
capter, . 
cathedralic (kath-e-dral'ik), a. [< cathedral 4 
-ic.} Pertaining to a cathedral, 
cathedratedt (kath'e-dra-ted), a. [< ML. cathe- 
dratus, placed in the cathedra, < cathedra : see 
cathedra.} Pertaining to or vested in the chair 
or office of a teacher. 
With the cathedrated authority of a prelector or publick 
reader. Whitlock, Manners of Eng. People, p. 885. 
cathedratic (kath-e-drat'ik), . and n. [< ML. 
cathedraticus, belonging to the cathedra, < ca- 
thedra : see cathedra. } I. a. Promulgated ex 
cathedra, or as if with high authority. [Bare.] 
There is the prestige of antiquity which adds the author- 
ity of venerability to cathedratic precepts. Frazer's May. 
n. . [< ML. cathedraticum.} A sum of two 
shillings paid to the bishop by the inferior 
clergy in token of subjection and respect. E. 
Phillips, 1706. 
cathegumen (kath-e-gu'men), n. [< Eccl. Gr. 
KaBrn'ovfievoc,, an abbot: see hegumen.} Same as 
heqwnen. 
cathelectrotonus (kath'e-lek-trot'o-nus), n. 
Same as catelectrotonus. 
catheretic (kath-e-ret'ik), . [= F. cathere- 
tique, < Gr. KadaiptTitic., destructive, < xnSaipuv, 
destroy, < Kara, down, + aipslv, grasp.] A sub- 
stance used as a mild caustic in eating down 
or removing warts, exuberant granulations, etc. 
catherine-wheel, . See catharine-wheel. 
Catherpes (ka-ther'pez), . [NL. (S. F. Baird, 
1858), < Gr. Kadcpveiv, creep, steal down, < Kara, 
down, + epireiv, creep.] A genus of canon- 
wrens, of the subfamily Campylorhyiichina?, 
family Troglodytida, found in the southwest- 
ern United States and southward. C. mexica- 
niis is an example. See cut under canon-wren. 
