caducous

[ kuh-doo-kuhs, -dyoo- ]

adjective
  1. Botany. dropping off very early, as leaves.

  2. Zoology. subject to shedding.

Origin of caducous

1
First recorded in 1675–85 for obsolete sense; 1805–10 for current senses; from Latin cadūcus “unsteady, perishable,” equivalent to cad(ere) “to fall” + -ūcus adjective suffix (see -ous)

Words Nearby caducous

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How to use caducous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for caducous

caducous

/ (kəˈdjuːkəs) /


adjective
  1. biology (of parts of a plant or animal) shed during the life of the organism

Origin of caducous

1
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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for caducous

caducous

[ kə-dōōkəs ]


  1. 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.