LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

cadūcus

cadūcus (feminine cadūca, neuter cadūcum)
Classical[kaˈduː.kʊs]Ecclesiastical[kaˈduː.kus]

Meaning

  1. adjectiveThat falls or has fallen, falling, collapsing, tottering, drooping.
  2. adjectiveThat easily falls, inclined to fall
  3. adjectivepoeticDevoted to death, destined to die, doomed.
  4. adjectivefigurativelyFrail, fleeting, perishable, transitory; vain, futile.
  5. adjectiveLapsed, vacant, escheatable, caducary.

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativecadūcuscadūcacadūcum
genitivecadūcīcadūcaecadūcī
dativecadūcōcadūcaecadūcō
accusativecadūcumcadūcamcadūcum
ablativecadūcōcadūcācadūcō
vocativecadūcecadūcacadūcum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativecadūcīcadūcaecadūca
genitivecadūcōrumcadūcārumcadūcōrum
dativecadūcīscadūcīscadūcīs
accusativecadūcōscadūcāscadūca
ablativecadūcīscadūcīscadūcīs
vocativecadūcīcadūcaecadūca

cădūcus, a, um, adj. cado.
I. That falls or has fallen, falling, fallen (mostly poet.): bacae glandesque caducae, * Lucr. 5, 1362; cf. Dig. 50, 16, 30: glans caduca est, quae ex arbore cecidit: oleae, Cato, R. R. 23, 2: spica, that fell in mowing, Varr. R. R. 2, 2, 12: aqua, id. ib. 3, 5, 2: aquae, Ov. P. 2, 7, 39: frondes, Verg. G. 1, 368: frons, Ov. M. 7, 840; id. Tr. 3, 1, 45: folia, id. Am. 2, 16, 45: lacrimae, id. M. 6, 396: poma, Prop. 2, 32, 40: oliva, Col. 12, 52, 22: fulmen, Hor. C. 3, 4, 44: te, triste lignum, te caducum In domini caput immerentis, id. ib. 2, 13, 11; cf. ligna, Varr. L. L. 6, § 66 Müll.: tela, Prop. 4 (5), 2, 53. moro coma nigrior caduco, Mart. 8, 64, 7.—
B. Caduca auspicia dicunt cum aliquid in templo excidit, veluti virga e manu, Paul. ex Fest. p. 64, 9 Müll.—
2. Caduci bello, that have fallen in war, slain in battle: bello caduci Dardanidae, Verg. A. 6, 481.—
3. In gen., devoted to death, destined to die: juvenis, Verg. A. 10, 622.—
II. Inclined to fall, that easily falls (rare): vitis, quae naturā caduca est et, nisi fulta sit, ad terram fertur, Cic. Sen. 15, 52; cf. id. ib. 2, 5. —Hence,
2. Esp., in medic. lang.: homo, epileptic, Firm. Math. 3, 6, n. 8; Aemil. Mac. c. de Paeonia: equus, Veg. 1, 25, 2: asellus morbo detestabili caducus, App. M. 9, p. 236, 12: morbus, the falling sickness, epilepsy, App. Herb. 60; Aemil. Mac. c. Aristoloch.; Isid. Orig. 14, 7, 5.—
B. Trop.
1. In gen., frail, fleeting, perishable, transitory, vain (class., esp. in prose): in eo, qui ex animo constet et corpus caducus et infirmus, Cic. N. D. 1, 35, 98: ignis, quickly extinguished, Sen. Q. N. 2, 23, 2: res humanae fragiles caducaeque, Cic. Lael. 27, 102: quis confidit semper sibi illud stabile et firmum permansurum, quod fragile et caducum sit, id. Fin. 2, 27, 86: nihil nisi mortale et caducum praeter animos, id. Rep. 6, 17, 17: alia omnia incerta sunt, caduca, mobilia; virtus est una altissimis defixa radicibus, id. Phil. 4, 5, 13; id. Lael. 6, 20; id. Dom. 58, 146: tituli, Plin. Pan. 55, 8: tempus, id. Ep. 3, 7, 14: labores, id. ib. 9, 3, 2: fama, Ov. P. 4, 8, 46: spes, vain, futile, id. M. 9, 597: preces, ineffectual, id. F. 1, 181: pars voti, id. Ib. 88.—
2. Esp., in law, caduca bona were those possessions which did not fall to the heir mentioned in a will, because he was childless, but passed to other heirs (in default of such, to the exchequer); vacant, having no heir (cf. Hugo, Rechtsgesch. p. 760 sq.): quod quis sibi testamento relictum, ita ut jure civili capere possit, aliquă ex causă deinde non ceperit, caducum appellatur, veluti ceciderit ab eo, etc., Ulp. Lib. Regul. tit. 10: hereditates, Cic. Phil. 10, 5, 11; Cod. Th. 10, 10, 30 pr.; Dig. 22, 5, 9: portio, Gai Inst. 2, 206.—As subst.: cădūcum, i, n., property without an heir, an unowned eslate: legatum omne capis nec non et dulce caducum, Juv. 9, 88: caduca occupare, Just. 19, 3, 6: vindicare, Gal Inst. 2, 207.—
b. Transf., of other things: nostra est omnis ista prudentiae doctrinaeque possessio, in quam homines, quasi caducam atque vacuam, abundantes otio, nobis occupatis, involaverunt, Cic. de Or. 3, 31, 122 (no comp. or sup.).—Hence, adv.: cădū-cĭter, precipitately, headlong: caduciter = praecipitanter; Varro: aquai caduciter ruentis, Non. p. 91, 1 sq.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱad-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱádeti
  3. Proto-Italic*kadō
  4. Latincadūcus

Latin -ūcus Latin cadūcus From cadō (“to fall”) + -ūcus.

Descendants
  • Catalancaduc
  • Englishcaducous
  • Frenchcaducfrom Middle French caduc
  • Germankaduk
  • Italiancaduco
  • Portuguesecaduco
  • Spanishcaduco
  • Dutchkaduukfrom Middle French caduc
  • Turkishkadükfrom Middle French caduc
  • Galiciancaduco

In English words that came into English from cadūcus

  • caducouscadūcus
  • caducicorncadūcus
  • caducibranchiatecadūcus

Quick answers

What does cadūcus mean in Latin?
cadūcus, a adjective, means “That falls or has fallen, falling, collapsing, tottering, drooping.; That easily falls, inclined to fall; Devoted to death, destined to die, doomed.”.
How do you pronounce cadūcus?
In classical Latin, [kaˈduː.kʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [kaˈduː.kus].
Where does cadūcus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *ḱad- → Proto-Indo-European *ḱádeti → Proto-Italic *kadō → Latin cadūcus.
Which English words come from cadūcus?
English words that go back to Latin cadūcus include caducous, caducicorn and caducibranchiate.