cataphract /ˈkætəfɹækt/noun 4adjective 1forms 1 noun4 •(historical) Defensive armour covering the entire body of a soldier and often the soldier's horse as well, especially the linked mail or scale armour of some eastern nations.Carmine streaks stained their limbs, their tunics and cataphracts; but little of the blood was theirs. They did not move like people with injuries. — 2013 •(historical) A soldier (especially a horseman) covered with a cataphract.A party of heavy cataphracts rode up, their horses thundering to a halt amid a cloud of dirt. The men were in full-length lamellar armour which hampered their mobility to no small degree. — 2012 •A galley with the upper tier of rowers shielded. •(no longer used) An outer covering of some fish resembling armour or plate. adjective1 •(historical) Of a galley such as a trireme: with the upper tier of rowers shielded rather than exposed. formscataphracts
