- deciduous
- \ \ see DECAY
Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
deciduous
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Deciduous — De*cid u*ous (?; 135), a. [L. deciduus, fr. dec?dere to fall off; de + cadere to fall. See {Chance}.] (Biol.) Falling off, or subject to fall or be shed, at a certain season, or a certain stage or interval of growth, as leaves (except of… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
deciduous — index ephemeral, temporary, transient, volatile Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
deciduous — (adj.) 1680s, from L. deciduus that which falls off, from decidere to fall off, from de down (see DE (Cf. de )) + cadere to fall (see CASE (Cf. case) (n.1)). Originally with reference to leaves, petals, teeth, etc.; specific sense of … Etymology dictionary
deciduous — ► ADJECTIVE 1) (of a tree or shrub) shedding its leaves annually. Contrasted with EVERGREEN(Cf. ↑evergreen). 2) (of teeth or horns) shed after a time. ORIGIN Latin deciduus, from decidere fall down or off … English terms dictionary
deciduous — [dē sij′o͞o əs] adj. [L deciduus < decidere, to fall off < de , off, down + cadere, to fall: see CASE1] 1. falling off or out at a certain season or stage of growth, as some leaves, antlers, insect wings, or milk teeth 2. shedding leaves… … English World dictionary
Deciduous — For other uses, see Deciduous (disambiguation). Deciduous forest in autumn … Wikipedia
deciduous — adjective Etymology: Latin deciduus, from decidere to fall off, from de + cadere to fall more at chance Date: 1688 1. falling off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle < deciduous leaves > … New Collegiate Dictionary
deciduous — 1. Not permanent; denoting that which eventually falls off. 2. (D) (in dental formulas)In dentistry, often used to designate the first or primary dentition. See d. tooth. [L. deciduus, falling off] * * * de·cid·u·ous di sij ə wəs adj 1) falling… … Medical dictionary
deciduous — adj. Deciduous is used with these nouns: ↑forest, ↑shrub, ↑tree, ↑wood … Collocations dictionary
deciduous — de|cid|u|ous [dıˈsıdʒuəs] adj [Date: 1600 1700; : Latin; Origin: deciduus, from decidere to fall off ] deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter ≠ ↑evergreen … Dictionary of contemporary English
deciduous — de|cid|u|ous [ dı sıdʒuəs ] adjective deciduous trees lose all their leaves each fall. Trees that keep their leaves all year round are called evergreen … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
