CATAmania Trivia Quiz

Answer: Eel, because it breeds at sea

Any fish which swims downriver to the sea to breed can be referred to in this way. The word is derived from the Greek kata - down and dromos (from dremein) - to run. First used in its current form in the 19th Century, the word's antonym is anadromous. An example of an anadromous fish would be the salmon.

Answer: Undertaker - it is a burial platform

A catafalque is a raised platform upon which a body lies in state before burial. Recorded as being first used in English in the 1600s, the word is derived from the French. Prior to this, it appeared as catafalco in the Italian language. Origin beyond this is uncertain, however etymological comparison has been made with the word scaffold.

Answer: catalepsy

A prolonged state of rigid posture, this compares to a rock deformation (cataclasis), a complex crypt (catacomb), and the breaking down of molecules (catabolism). Derived in the 16th century from medieval Latin, it has a late Latin equivalent in catalepsis. The word can be traced back to Greek, from kata-down and lambanein-to grasp or hold.

Answer: a catachrestical substitution

The sentence's example feature is in the misuse of the word "bi-annual" (meaning twice yearly) where biennial (every two years) should have been used. This substitutive misuse is known as catachresis, arriving in English in the 16th Century from Greek, via Latin.

The cata- prefix also indicates reversal or degeneration - here against the Greek root khresthai - to use. The other terms are total fabrications. Did anyone fall for the "bi" inspired twin hull? The nautical word catamaran is actually derived from the Tamil language.

Answer: At a restaurant in Barcelona

A Catalan is an inhabitant of Catalonia, a region in Northeastern Spain. The word refers also to the language of the region. Closely related to Spanish and Provencal, it belongs the the Romance group of the Indo-European language family. Catalan appeared as a word in the late 15th century, of indigenous Celtic origin with the likely meaning of "chiefs of battle." Middle English used Catelaner in the mid-1300s, becoming Catellain in the early 1400s, from French.

Answer: when threatened - it refers to feigning death

This sudden absence of movement by animals is enacted to discourage live-hunting predators. It is originally derived from the Greek kata - down and plessein - to strike. The Greek word kataplexis, meaning consternation or stupefaction reached English circa late 1800s through the German Kataplexie.

This was the first reference to the word pertaining specifically to the state of an animal when it is feigning death.

Answer: boils

A cataplasm is a poultice or plaster spread over the skin as a medical treatment. Cataplasms of various preparation have been used through medical history, usually to draw out infection. The word derives from the Latin cataplasma, in turn from the Greek kataplessein - to cover with plaster.

The first recorded appearance of the word in English is in Robert Burton's "The Anatomy of Melancholy", in 1621. Modern Spanish and Italian retain the Latin-derived cataplasma.

Answer: up your nose

The inflammation of mucous membrane, it is most likely to affect the nose and throat. A 16th Century arrival in the language, via Old French (catarrhe) from Late Latin (catarrhus) from Greek (katarrous). The prefix kata - downwards linked to the verb form rhein - to flow. Now the name of Germany's longest river makes sense.

Answer: cataract

The reference to the meaning "waterfall" appears to precede its use as an ophthalmological term. The root is in the Greek kata - down and arhattein - to strike hard (noun katarhaktes). An archaic alternative meaning is "portcullis". The origin of the medical use of the word, pertaining to opacity of the lens of the eye, may come from the notion of obstruction/portcullis, although alternative sources suggest the whitish opacity is reminiscent of the churned up water of a waterfall.

Answer: a mountain lion

Well, there had to be one feline question in there! Any medium-sized member of the felidae (cat family) can be referred to by this term. A simple contraction of the term "cat of the mountain", it appeared as a distinct word in the 1660's, further contacting the term "cat-o'-mountain" (1610s).