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,” App. M. 9, p. 236, 12: “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, aliquă ex causă 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 eslate: “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.