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deciduous

American  
[dih-sij-oo-uhs] / dɪˈsɪdʒ u əs /

adjective

  1. shedding the leaves annually, as certain trees and shrubs.

  2. falling off or shed at a particular season, stage of growth, etc., as leaves, horns, or teeth.

  3. not permanent; transitory.

deciduous British  
/ dɪˈsɪdjʊəs /

adjective

  1. (of trees and shrubs) shedding all leaves annually at the end of the growing season and then having a dormant period without leaves Compare evergreen

  2. (of antlers, wings, teeth, etc) being shed at the end of a period of growth

  3. rare impermanent; transitory Compare evergreen

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
deciduous Scientific  
/ dĭ-sĭj′o̅o̅-əs /

  1. Shedding leaves at the end of a growing season and regrowing them at the beginning of the next growing season. Most deciduous plants bear flowers and have woody stems and broad rather than needlelike leaves. Maples, oaks, elms, and aspens are deciduous.

  2. Compare evergreen See more at abscission

  3. Falling off or shed at a particular season or stage of growth, as antlers.

Other Word Forms

  • deciduously adverb
  • deciduousness noun
  • nondeciduous adjective
  • nondeciduously adverb
  • nondeciduousness noun

Etymology

Origin of deciduous

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin dēciduus “tending to fall, falling,” equivalent to dēcid(ere) “to fall off, down” ( dē- verb prefix of removal) + -cidere (combining form of cadere “to fall”) + -uus adjective suffix. See de-, -ous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In Gramsh, the municipality is exploring options to alternate pines with other trees, especially deciduous species.

From Barron's • Oct. 11, 2025

I share Vejar’s loathing for the relentless “tree of heaven,” the deciduous plant that is sometimes called a stinking sumac.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

They planted a Blue Beech, a small deciduous tree native to eastern North America and known for its bright autumn leaves.

From BBC • May 26, 2025

In many areas, deciduous shrubs and trees, like willow and aspen, are moving in after a fire.

From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2024

For prehistoric humans the most productive forest was the deciduous leafy forest because of its abundance of edible nuts, such as walnuts, chestnuts, horse chestnuts, acorns, and beechnuts.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.