deciduous

English

WOTD – 24 August 2010, 24 August 2011

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *de

Proto-Indo-European *-h₁

Proto-Indo-European *déh₁

Proto-Italic *dē

Latin dē

Latin dē-

Proto-Indo-European *ḱad-

Proto-Indo-European *-eti

Proto-Indo-European *ḱádeti

Proto-Italic *kadō

Latin cadō

Latin dēcidō

Proto-Indo-European *-wós

Proto-Italic *-wos

Latin -uus

Latin dēciduuslbor.

English deciduous

Learned borrowing from Latin dēciduus (“falling down or off”), from dēcidō (“to fall down or off”) + -uus.

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈsɪd͡ʒ.ʊ.əs/
(US) IPA^(key): /dɪˈsɪd͡ʒ.u.əs/
Audio (US): (file)
Audio (General Australian): (file)

Adjective

deciduous (not comparable)

(biology, anatomy) Describing a part that falls off, or is shed, at a particular time or stage of development.
- 1911, Richard Lydekker, 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Equidae:
  In the Hippoidea there is generally the full series of 44 teeth, but the first premolar is often deciduous or wanting in the lower or in both jaws.
Antonyms: persistent, permanent
(botany) Of or pertaining to trees which lose their leaves in winter or the dry season.
Antonyms: evergreen, sempervirent

Synonym: perdifoil. Compare caducous.

a deciduous tree
(figurative) Transitory, ephemeral, not lasting.(Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms

Translations

describing a part that falls off, or is shed

Armenian: գցվող (gcʻvoġ), փոխվող (pʻoxvoġ), թափվող (tʻapʻvoġ)
Catalan: caduc (ca), decidu (ca)
French: caduc (fr), décidual (fr)
Georgian: მოსაცვლელი (mosacvleli), სარძევე (sarʒeve) (of teeth only)
Hungarian: leeső, lehulló (hu), lehullajtott
Italian: caduco (it), deciduo (it)
Korean: 탈락성 (tallakseong)
Old English: hrurul
Portuguese: caduco (pt), decíduo
Russian: сбра́сываемый (ru) (sbrásyvajemyj), моло́чный (ru) (molóčnyj) (of teeth only)
Spanish: caduco (es), deciduo
Turkish: geçici (tr)

of or pertaining to trees which lose their leaves in winter or the dry season

Altai:
Southern Altai: јалбыракту (ǰalbïraktu)
Armenian: սաղարթավոր (hy) (saġartʻavor)
Bulgarian: листопаден (listopaden)
Catalan: caducifoli
Chinese:
Mandarin: (deciduous tree) 落葉喬木 / 落叶乔木 (zh) (luòyè qiáomù)
Czech: opadavý (cs)
Danish: løvfældende (da)
Dutch: bladverliezend (nl), loofverliezend
Esperanto: falfolia
Finnish: lehtensä pudottava, kesävihanta (fi)
French: à feuilles caduques, caducifolié (fr)
Georgian: ფოთოლმცვენი (potolmcveni), ფოთლოვანი (potlovani)
German: Laub- (as in Laubbaum (deciduous tree) or Laubwald (deciduous forest)); (as an adjective) laubabwerfend (de), sommergrün (de)
Greek: φυλλοβόλος (el) (fyllovólos)
Hungarian: lombhullató (hu)
Irish: duillsilteach
Italian: caducifoglio
Japanese: 落葉樹 (ja) (らくようじゅ, rakuyōju) (deciduous tree)
Kannada: ಪರ್ಣಪಾತಿ (parṇapāti)
Kazakh: жапырақты (japyraqty)
Korean: 낙엽성(落葉性) (nagyeopseong)
Macedonian: листо́паден (listópaden)
Manx: yn-lhoamey
Māori: rauhoro
Norwegian:
Bokmål: løvfellende, lauvfellende

Nynorsk: lauvfellande
Old English: hrurul
Polish: liściasty (pl) m
Portuguese: caducifólio
Russian: ли́ственный (ru) (lístvennyj), листопа́дный (ru) (listopádnyj)
Scottish Gaelic: seargach
Serbo-Croatian: listopadni (sh)
Spanish: caducifolio (es), de hoja caduca
Swedish: lövfällande (sv)
Turkish: yaprak döken, yapraklarını döken
Welsh: collddail (cy)
Yakut: сэбирдэхтээх (sebirdeqteeq)

transitory, ephemeral, not lasting

Armenian: անցողիկ (hy) (ancʻoġik), վաղանցուկ (hy) (vaġancʻuk), անկայուն (hy) (ankayun)
Hungarian: múlékony (hu)
Māori: rangitahi
Polish: ulotny (pl) m, przemijający m, przejściowy (pl) m
Portuguese: efêmero (pt), transitório (pt)
Russian: быстроте́чный (ru) (bystrotéčnyj), преходя́щий (ru) (prexodjáščij), скороте́чный (ru) (skorotéčnyj)
Spanish: efímero (es), transitorio (es), fugaz (es)
Turkish: geçici (tr)