deciduous

American  

[dih-sij-oo-uhs] / dɪˈsɪdʒ u əs /

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.

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deciduous British  

/ dɪˈsɪdjʊəs /

adjective

1. (of trees and shrubs) shedding all leaves annually at the end of the growing season and then having a dormant period without leaves Compare evergreen

2. (of antlers, wings, teeth, etc) being shed at the end of a period of growth

3. rare impermanent; transitory Compare evergreen

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deciduous Scientific  

/ dĭ-sĭj′o̅o̅-əs /

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.

2. Compare evergreen See more at abscission

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

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Other Word Forms

• deciduously adverb
• deciduousness noun
• nondeciduous adjective
• nondeciduously adverb
• nondeciduousness noun

Etymology

Origin of deciduous

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin dēciduus “tending to fall, falling,” equivalent to dēcid(ere) “to fall off, down” ( dē- verb prefix of removal) + -cidere (combining form of cadere “to fall”) + -uus adjective suffix. See de-, -ous

Explanation

Hemlock, blue spruce, and white pine are all evergreens. These trees have leaves throughout the year. Oak, maple, and elm are examples of deciduous trees. They lose their foliage in the fall and grow new leaves in the spring. Trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials that shed their leaves for part of the year are categorized by botanists as deciduous. In temperate and polar regions, these plants are generally bare during the cold of winter. In other parts of the world, deciduous plants lose their leaves during the dry part of the year. The word deciduous can also be used to describe parts of the body, such as a deer's antlers or human baby teeth, that are cast off seasonally or at a particular period of development.

Example Sentences

In Gramsh, the municipality is exploring options to alternate pines with other trees, especially deciduous species.

From Barron's • Oct. 11, 2025

They planted a Blue Beech, a small deciduous tree native to eastern North America and known for its bright autumn leaves.

From BBC • May 26, 2025

It included 16 ingredients, Indian mulberry, golden eye-grass, the deciduous perennial Asian lizard’s tail and the carrot-like plant Szechuan Lovage among them.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 2, 2024

Warm, tropical forests gave way to open grasslands, deserts and cold deciduous forests.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2024

For prehistoric humans the most productive forest was the deciduous leafy forest because of its abundance of edible nuts, such as walnuts, chestnuts, horse chestnuts, acorns, and beechnuts.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• brief
• ephemeral
• fleeting
• momentary
• short-term
• temporary
• transitory