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, Ap. Met. 9, 39, 28; 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, aliquā ex causā 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 estate : 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.