caducous

[ kuh-doo-kuhs, -dyoo- ]

/ kəˈdu kəs, -ˈdyu- /

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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 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

cadre, cadreman, caduceus, caducibranchiate, caducity, caducous, Cadwalader, Cadwallader, CAE, caecilian, caecum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use caducous in a sentence

Leaves alternate, compound, digitate, caducous; leaflets 5–7 with long common petiole.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines|T. H. Pardo de Tavera
Leaves alternate, with stipules, these sometimes caducous, rarely obsolete or wanting.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray
Achenes short and thick, compressed or turgid, truncate, glabrous; pappus of 2–8 caducous awns.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray
Flowers white, small, in terminal umbel-like clusters from large scaly buds; bracts or scales thin and caducous.
The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States|Asa Gray

Caducous, dropping off very early, compared with other parts; as the calyx in the Poppy, falling when the flower opens.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray

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.