caducous

2 definitions found

caducous - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Caducous \Ca*du"cous\, [L. caducus falling, inclined to fall,
     fr. cadere to fall. See Cadence.] (Bot. & Zool.)
     Dropping off or disappearing early, as the calyx of a poppy,
     or the gills of a tadpole.
     [1913 Webster]

caducous - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  caducous
      adj 1: shed at an early stage of development; "most amphibians
             have caducous gills"; "the caducous calyx of a poppy"
             [syn: caducous, shed] [ant: lasting, persistent]