caducity

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The Word of the Day for July 25 is: 

caducity   \kuh-DOO-suh-tee\   noun
     1 : senility 
    *2 : the quality of being transitory or perishable

Example sentence: 
     "Awareness of death -- a vivid realization of the caducity of life and its 
joys and miseries -- provides the strongest motive for metaphysics." (F. 
Gonzalez-Crussi, _The New Yorker_, November 1, 1993)

Did you know?
     "Caducity" derives by way of the French "caduc," meaning "transitory," 
from the Latin "caducus," meaning "tending to fall," a product of the verb 
"cadere," meaning "to fall." Words that share the "cadere" root with "caducity" 
include "accident," "coincide," "cadaver," and "chance." "Caducity" usually 
refers to the fleeting or perishable nature of something. More specifically, it 
can refer to the perishable nature of cognitive abilities and can be used as a 
synonym of senility. Both senses of the word first appeared in English in the 
second half of the 18th century. 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. 






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