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deciduous

 [dih-sij-oo-uhs]   Example Sentences Origin

de·cid·u·ous

   [dih-sij-oo-uhs]
adjective
1.
shedding the leaves annually, as certain trees and shrubs.
2.
falling off or shed at a particular season, stage of growth, etc., as leaves, horns, or teeth.
3.
not permanent; transitory.
Origin:
1650–60; < Latin dēciduus tending to fall, falling, equivalent to dēcid(ere) to fall off, down (dē- de- + -cidere, combining form of cadere to fall) + -uus deverbal adj. suffix; see -ous

Related forms
de·cid·u·ous·ly, adverb
de·cid·u·ous·ness, noun
non·de·cid·u·ous, adjective
non·de·cid·u·ous·ly, adverb
non·de·cid·u·ous·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Deciduous is a GRE word you need to know.
So is detest. Does it mean:
to thrust out or away.
to feel abhorrence of
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Example Sentences
  • In time, it is hoped deciduous woodland will seed between the pines.
  • With deciduous rain forests and offshore reefs, it is a naturalist's paradise.
  • Cell death occurs very visibly when deciduous trees drop their leaves in the fall.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
deciduous (dɪˈsɪdjʊəs)
 
—adj
1.  Compare evergreen (of trees and shrubs) shedding all leaves annually at the end of the growing season and then having a dormant period without leaves
2.  (of antlers, wings, teeth, etc) being shed at the end of a period of growth
3.  rare Compare evergreen impermanent; transitory
 
[C17: from Latin dēciduus falling off, from dēcidere to fall down, from cadere to fall]
 
de'ciduously
 
—adv
 
de'ciduousness
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

deciduous
1680s, from L. deciduus "that which falls off," from decidere "to fall off," from de- "down" + cadere "to fall" (see case (1)). Originally with reference to leaves, petals, teeth, etc.; specific sense of "trees whose leaves fall off" (opposed to evergreen) is from 1778.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

deciduous de·cid·u·ous (dĭ-sĭj'&oomacr;-əs)
adj.

  1. Falling off or shed at a specific stage of growth, as teeth of the first dentition.

  2. Of, relating to, or being the first or primary dentition.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
deciduous   (dĭ-sĭj'-əs)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. Shedding leaves at the end of a growing season and regrowing them at the beginning of the next growing season. Most deciduous plants bear flowers and have woody stems and broad rather than needlelike leaves. Maples, oaks, elms, and aspens are deciduous. Compare evergreen. See more at abscission.

  2. Falling off or shed at a particular season or stage of growth, as antlers.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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