A series of waterfalls or steep rapids in a river, or anything that falls, flows, or occurs in stages like a waterfall. Can also refer to the Cascade Range, a mountain range in western North America.
From French 'cascade,' derived from Italian 'cascata,' from 'cascare' meaning 'to fall.' The geological term evolved from the basic meaning of falling water to describe any sequential, flowing process.
The word perfectly captures both the physical beauty of falling water and the abstract concept of chain reactions - from cascading waterfalls to cascading failures in systems. Computer scientists borrowed this term to describe how effects flow through networks, making it a bridge between natural phenomena and digital systems.
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