%casca%

n. [ F. cascade, fr. It. cascata, fr. cascare to fall. ] A fall of water over a precipice, as in a river or brook; a waterfall less than a cataract. [ 1913 Webster ]

The silver brook . . . pours the white cascade. Longjellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now murm'ring soft, now roaring in cascade. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To fall in a cascade. Lowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To vomit. [ Slang ] Smollett. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Physics) A method of attaining successively lower temperatures by utilizing the cooling effect of the expansion of one gas in condensing another less easily liquefiable, and so on. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Elec.) A system or method of connecting and operating two induction motors so that the primary circuit of one is connected to the secondary circuit of the other, the primary circuit of the latter being connected to the source of supply; also, a system of electric traction in which motors so connected are employed. The cascade system is also called
tandem system, or
concatenated system; the connection a
cascade connection,
tandem connection, or
concatenated connection, or
a concatenation; and the control of the motors so obtained a
tandem control, or
concatenation control. In the cascade system of traction the cascade connection is used for starting and for low speeds up to half speed. For full speed the short-circuited motor is cut loose from the other motor and is either left idle or (commonly) connected direct to the line. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ Pg., a chip of stone, gravel. ] A deposit of pebbles, gravel, and ferruginous sand, in which the Brazilian diamond is usually found. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the dried bark of the cascara buckthorn used as a laxative; -- called also cascara sagrada.
Syn. -- chittam bark, chittem bark. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

(Bot.) The buckthorn (Rhamnus Purshiana) of the Pacific coast of the United States, which yields cascara sagrada. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖ [ Sp. ] Holy bark; the bark of the California buckthorn (Rhamnus Purshianus), used as a mild cathartic or laxative; -- called also cascara. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp., small thin bark, Peruvian bark, dim. of cáscara bark. ] (Bot.) A euphorbiaceous West Indian shrub (Croton Eleutheria); also, its aromatic bark. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cascarilla bark (or
Cascarilla) (Med.), the bark of Croton Eleutheria. It has an aromatic odor and a warm, spicy, bitter taste, and when burnt emits a musky odor. It is used as a gentle tonic, and sometimes, for the sake of its fragrance, mixed with smoking tobacco, when it is said to occasion vertigo and intoxication. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) A white, crystallizable, bitter substance extracted from oil of cascarilla. [ 1913 Webster ]