caducous
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ca·du·cous
(kə-do͞o′kəs, -dyo͞o′-)adj.
Dropping off or shedding at an early stage of development, as the gills of most amphibians or the sepals or stipules of certain plants.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
caducous
(kəˈdjuːkəs)adj
(Biology) biology (of parts of a plant or animal) shed during the life of the organism
[C17: from Latin cadūcus falling, from cadere to fall]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ca•du•cous
(kəˈdu kəs, -ˈdyu-)adj.
1. Bot. dropping off very early, as leaves.
2. Zool. subject to shedding.
[1675–85; < Latin cadūcus unsteady, perishable =cad(ere) to fall + -ūcus adj. suffix; see -ous]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Adj. | 1. | caducous - shed at an early stage of development; "most amphibians have caducous gills"; "the caducous calyx of a poppy" biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms lasting, persistent - retained; not shed; "persistent leaves remain attached past maturity"; "the persistent gills of fishes" |
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