caduceus
Americannoun
plural
caducei-
Classical Mythology. the staff carried by Mercury as messenger of the gods.
-
a representation of this staff used as an emblem of the medical profession and as the insignia of the U.S. Army Medical Corps.
noun
-
classical myth a staff entwined with two serpents and bearing a pair of wings at the top, carried by Hermes (Mercury) as messenger of the gods
-
an insignia resembling this staff used as an emblem of the medical profession Compare staff of Aesculapius
Other Word Forms
- caducean adjective
Etymology
Origin of caduceus
1585–95; < Latin, variant of cādūceum < Greek (Doric) kārȳ́keion herald's staff, equivalent to kārȳk- (stem of kârȳx ) herald + -eion, neuter of -eios adj. suffix
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.
Bathed in blue and red light, it has a caduceus — a symbol for medicine, with winged staff and twined serpents — projected high on either side.
From New York Times
Like the standard medical ID bracelets, each has an engraved six-pointed star with caduceus — the medical symbol inspired by the Greek god Hermes — at its center.
From New York Times
Above each of those arches looms a caduceus, the winged staff entwined with two snakes that’s used as a symbol of medicine.
From Washington Times
George and Martha curled around the caduceus, which shimmered and changed into something that looked suspiciously like a high-voltage cattle prod.
From Literature
He opened his hand and the caduceus flew into it.
From Literature
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.
