caduceus
Americannoun
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Classical Mythology. the staff carried by Mercury as messenger of the gods.
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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
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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
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an insignia resembling this staff used as an emblem of the medical profession Compare staff of Aesculapius
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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
Vocabulary lists containing caduceus
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.
Pittsburgh researchers administered one part of an internal-medicine board exam to "Dr. CADUCEUS."
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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.
