caducous
[ kuh-doo-kuhs, -dyoo- ]
/ kəË?du kÉ™s, -Ë?dyu- /
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adjective
Botany. dropping off very early, as leaves.
Zoology. subject to shedding.
transitory; perishable.
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Origin of caducous
First recorded in 1675–85; from Latin cadūcus “unsteady, perishable,†equivalent to cad(ere) “to fall†+ -ūcus adjective suffix (see -ous)
Words nearby caducous
cadre, cadreman, caduceus, caducibranchiate, caducity, caducous, Cadwalader, Cadwallader, CAE, caecilian, caecum
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use caducous in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for caducous
caducous
/ (kÉ™Ë?djuË?kÉ™s) /
adjective
biology (of parts of a plant or animal) shed during the life of the organism
Word Origin for caducous
C17: from Latin cadūcus falling, from cadere to fall
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Scientific definitions for caducous
caducous
[ kÉ™-dÅÅ′kÉ™s ]
Detaching or dropping off at an early stage of development. The gills of most amphibians and the sepals or stipules of certain plants are caducous.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.