caduceus

*****************************************************************
Discover the people and events that made history ON THIS DAY. 
Sign up for the free daily newsletter from Britannica.
http://register.britannica.com/mailinglist
*****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for November 18 is: 

caduceus   \kuh-DOO-see-us\   noun
     1 : a figure of a staff with two snakes wound around it and 
two wings at the top
    *2 : an insignia bearing a caduceus and symbolizing a 
physician 

Example sentence:
     Adrienne knew she had found Dr. Moore's office when she saw 
the familiar caduceus on the door.

Did you know?
     Beware of snakes -- at least snakes entwining heraldic 
staffs -- because they're not all caducei. The 
genuine "caduceus" takes its name from Latin, which in turn 
picked up the name as a modification of Greek "karykeion," 
from "karyx" or "keryx," meaning "herald." Such a two-snake 
staff was the symbol of messenger-gods Mercury and Hermes, and 
it is still used in the insignia of the U.S. Army medical corps. 
If you see just one snake and no wings, there may be a doctor in 
the house, but one who displays the staff of Aesculapius, the 
god of medicine, rather than a true caduceus.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.