caduceus

/kəˈdu.si.əs/

//kəˈdu.si.əs// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"caduceus" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“caduceus” is uncommon English (frequency #91,328 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,328
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The official wand carried by a herald in ancient Greece and Rome, specifically the one carried in mythology by Hermes, the messenger of the gods, usually represented with two snakes twined around it.

Corpus desk

Index EN-caduceus · caduceus · English

caduceus · rank #91,328 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #91,328
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH bushcraft

Nearest frequency peer: bushcraft (-3 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “caduceus”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “caduceus” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for caduceus
PropertyValue
Headwordcaduceus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈdu.si.əs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#91,328
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “caduceus” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).caduceusfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “bushcraft” (#91,325), “busboy” (#91,324), “campagna” (#91,332). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “caduceus” is #91,328. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

caduceus is uncommon English at frequency #91,328 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kəˈdu.si.əs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for caduceus in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Via Latin cādūceus, cādūceum, adaptation of Doric Ancient Greek καρύκειον (karúkeion, “herald’s wand or staff”). This and Attic Greek κηρύκειον (kērúkeion) are derived from κῆρυξ (kêrux, “herald, public messenger”). Related to κηρύσσω (kērússō, “I announce”). The correct English form is caduceus, spelled C-A-D-U-C-E-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The official wand carried by a herald in ancient Greece and Rome, specifically the one carried in mythology by Hermes, the messenger of the gods, usually represented with two snakes twined around it.
  2. 2
    A symbol (☤) representing a staff with two snakes wrapped around it, used to indicate merchants and messengers. It is also sometimes incorrectly substituted for the rod of Asclepius as a symbol of medicine.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how caduceus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Caduceus the rod of Mercury, / With which he wonts the Stygian realmes inuade […]
  2. For quotations using this term, see Citations:caduceus.

Etymology

Via Latin cādūceus, cādūceum, adaptation of Doric Ancient Greek καρύκειον (karúkeion, “herald’s wand or staff”). This and Attic Greek κηρύκειον (kērúkeion) are derived from κῆρυξ (kêrux, “herald, public messenger”). Related to κηρύσσω (kērússō, “I announce”).

This word in other languages

caduceo(Español)caducée(Français)Hermesstab(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "caduceus"?
"caduceus" is spelled C-A-D-U-C-E-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈdu.si.əs/.
What does "caduceus" mean?
As a noun, "caduceus" means: The official wand carried by a herald in ancient Greece and Rome, specifically the one carried in mythology by Hermes, the messenger of the gods, usually represented with two snakes twined around it.
How do you pronounce "caduceus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caduceus" is /kəˈdu.si.əs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "caduceus"?
Via Latin cādūceus, cādūceum, adaptation of Doric Ancient Greek καρύκειον (karúkeion, “herald’s wand or staff”). This and Attic Greek κηρύκειον (kērúkeion) are derived from κῆρυξ (kêrux, “herald, public messenger”). Related to κηρύσσω (kērússō, “I... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "caduceus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

campagna#91,332Cheetham#91,349blunting#91,301classing#91,360

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list