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caducous

[ kuh-doo-kuhs, -dyoo- ]
/ kəˈdu kəs, -ˈdyu- /

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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for caducous

British Dictionary definitions for caducous

caducous
/ (kəˈdjuːkəs) /

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

Scientific definitions for caducous

caducous
[ kə-dōō′kəs ]

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.