Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A herald's wand or staff, especially in ancient times.
- noun Greek Mythology A winged staff with two serpents twined around it, carried by Hermes.
- noun An insignia modeled on Hermes's staff and used as the symbol of the medical profession.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In classical mythology, the rod or wand borne by Hermes, or Mercury, as an ensign of authority, quality, and office.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Myth.) The official staff or wand of Hermes or Mercury, the messenger of the gods. It was originally said to be a herald's staff of olive wood, but was afterwards fabled to have two serpents coiled about it, and two wings at the top.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The official
wand carried by aherald in ancient Greece and Rome, specifically the one carried in mythology byHermes , the messenger of the gods, usually represented with two snakes twined around it. - noun A symbol (
☤ ) representing a staff with two snakes wrapped around it, used to indicate merchants and messengers, and also sometimes as a symbol of medicine.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an insignia used by the medical profession; modeled after the staff of Hermes
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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Except when incorporated as part of the cap device, the corps device shall be so place on the uniform that the staff of the caduceus is vertical and the anchor is pointing inward.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 9993 1948
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Except when incorporated as part of the cap device, the corps device shall be so placed on the uniform that the staff of the caduceus is vertical and the anchor is pointing inward.
EXECUTIVE ORDER 9655 1945
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It was an array of clocks containing mercury ions, and the caduceus is a symbol of the god Mercury!
The Omega Theory Mark Alpert 2011
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In astronomy, the caduceus is a symbol for the planet Mercury.
The Omega Theory Mark Alpert 2011
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In astronomy, the caduceus is a symbol for the planet Mercury.
The Omega Theory Mark Alpert 2011
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The caduceus was a symbol of healing, and the card spoke to her of alliances, of a balanced partnership.
Rogue Oracle 2011
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The caduceus was a symbol of healing, and the card spoke to her of alliances, of a balanced partnership.
Rogue Oracle 2011
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It was an array of clocks containing mercury ions, and the caduceus is a symbol of the god Mercury!
The Omega Theory Mark Alpert 2011
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And in Whittaker Chambers 'face he raises his caduceus, which is the great imperial staff, and he says, "Tell me what one wish you desire."
Happy Days Were Here Again: Reflections of a Libertarian Journalist 1993
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The bars represent lines of print on a page, and the caduceus was the winged wand entwined with serpents carried by Mercury, the messenger of the gods.
The World of 1975 1973
chained_bear commented on the word caduceus
It probably wouldn't qualify, but this seems like a perfect candidate for reesetee's "It Has a Name??" list. I remember learning this word as a child, and thinking just that very thought.
February 15, 2008
reesetee commented on the word caduceus
Ah, what the hell. Added. :-)
February 15, 2008
ruzuzu commented on the word caduceus
"The caduceus, the traditional symbol of Hermes featuring two snakes around an often winged staff, is often mistakenly used as a symbol of medicine, especially in North America, due to widespread confusion with the traditional medical symbol, the rod of Asclepius, which has only a single snake and no wings. The two snake caduceus design has ancient and consistent associations with commerce, eloquence, trickery and negotiation."
- From this Wikipedia article.
July 27, 2010
hernesheir commented on the word caduceus
Per saltire or and erminois, on a saltire azure between a caduceus in chief and a pine-apple in base proper, two swords in saltire argent, pomels and hilts gold -- BARROW, Bath. Has anyone seen my pine-apple?
October 3, 2011