cascades

meaning in plain English

Water flowing down in a line of little falls, like steps of clear, moving glass.

Imagine a stair‑shaped waterfall—each step a tiny glass pane—those are cascades dancing down the mountain.

for example

The hikers stopped to watch the stream cascades tumble over the smooth rocks into the pool below.

Imagine a row of tiny slides made of water, where each slide spills into the next. Why do we call them cascades? Because they fall in a smooth, flowing line, like hair spilling over shoulders or beads rolling down a string.