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caducity

[ kuh-doo-si-tee, -dyoo- ]
/ kəˈdu sɪ ti, -ˈdyu- /
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See synonyms for caducity on Thesaurus.com
noun
Archaic. the infirmity or weakness of old age; senility.
Literary. the quality of being perishable or transitory: the caducity of life.
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Origin of caducity

First recorded in 1760–70; from French caducité, equivalent to caduc caducous + -ité -ity

Words nearby caducity

Cadogan teapot, cadre, cadreman, caduceus, caducibranchiate, caducity, caducous, Cadwalader, Cadwallader, CAE, caecilian
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to caducity

age, lapse, senility

How to use caducity in a sentence

  • Magpies, crows, and jays, evince symptoms of caducity at the same age.

    A World of Wonders|Various

  • Pensive musings upon the caducity of the human race are, generally, rather feminine than masculine.

    Red as a Rose is She|Rhoda Broughton

  • Let us deduct even from old age the years of infancy, the years of caducity, and the years of sleep,—alas!

    Curiosities of Medical Experience|J. G. (John Gideon) Millingen

  • The "caducity" and "persistency" of floral envelopes furnish some valuable characteristics for the distinction of species.

    Everyday Objects|W. H. Davenport Adams

British Dictionary definitions for caducity

caducity
/ (kəˈdjuːsɪtɪ) /
noun
perishableness
senility

Word Origin for caducity

C18: from French, from Latin cadūcus caducous
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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