Caducous
[kə-DYOO-kəs]
Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, late 17th century
1.
(of an organ or part) easily detached and shed at an early stage
Examples of Caducous in a sentence
"The protective layer of a poppy can be caducous, falling off to reveal the bright petals."
"Jane slid the bulky fur coat off her body in a caducous manner."
About Caducous
Caducous is a botany term that derives from the Latin caducus, meaning “liable to fall,” and -ous, meaning “characterized by.”
Did you Know?
It would be easy to think that “caducous” and “deciduous” are synonyms because they both refer to plants shedding parts of themselves. But a closer look at their definitions proves otherwise. Caducous refers to something on a plant or creature that is easily shed at an early stage of development; deciduous describes a tree or shrub that sheds its leaves annually.
