DECIDUOUS

deciduous

(adjective) (of plants and shrubs) shedding foliage at the end of the growing season

deciduous

(adjective) (of teeth, antlers, etc.) being shed at the end of a period of growth; “deciduous teeth”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

deciduous (not comparable)

(biology, anatomy) Describing a part that falls off, or is shed, at a particular time or stage of development.

Antonyms: persistent, permanent

(botany) Of or pertaining to trees which lose their leaves in winter or the dry season.

Antonyms: evergreen, sempervirent. Cf. caducous.

Transitory, ephemeral, not lasting.

Source: Wiktionary


De*cid"u*ous, a. Etym: [L. deciduus, fr. dec to fall off; de- + cadere to fall. See Chance.] (Biol.)

Definition: 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 evergreens) in autumn, or as parts of animals, such as hair, teeth, antlers, etc.; also, shedding leaves or parts at certain seasons, stages, or intervals; as, deciduous trees; the deciduous membrane.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

4 April 2025

GUILLOTINE

(verb) kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine; “The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country”


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Coffee Trivia

The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

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