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caduceus

[ kuh-doo-see-uhs, -syoos, -shuhs, -dyoo- ]
/ kəˈdu si əs, -syus, -ʃəs, -ˈdyu- /
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noun, plural ca·du·ce·i [kuh-doo-see-ahy, -shee-ahy, -dyoo-]. /kəˈdu siˌaɪ, -ʃiˌaɪ, -ˈdyu-/.
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.
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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

OTHER WORDS FROM caduceus

ca·du·ce·an, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use caduceus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for caduceus

caduceus
/ (kəˈdjuːsɪəs) /

noun plural -cei (-sɪˌaɪ)
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 professionCompare staff of Aesculapius

Word Origin for caduceus

C16: from Latin, from Doric Greek karukeion, from karux herald
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
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