Caducar

Caducar is a Spanish verb that means to expire, to become invalid, or to lose validity. It is used for items whose validity is limited by time or a condition, such as documents, licenses, permits, contracts, offers, warranties, or registrations. It can also refer to the deterioration of perishable goods after a certain date, commonly expressed as the expiration date of a product.

Etymology and nuances: the term comes from Latin caducus, meaning falling or decaying, related to cadere, to fall. In everyday use, caducar emphasizes that something has passed its term and is no longer legally or practically active. The noun caducidad denotes expiration, while vigencia refers to ongoing validity and vencimiento to the due date or moment of expiration, depending on the context.

Contexts and examples: in legal and administrative language, one speaks of "la licencia caduca," "el contrato caducó," or "la oferta caduca," indicating that the item is no longer valid after a certain date. In bureaucratic settings, documents can "caducar." In consumer and product labeling, the phrase "fecha de caducidad" marks when a product should no longer be used, particularly for safety reasons. Some items use the related term "vigencia" to describe how long something remains in force, or "vencimiento" to denote the deadline for fulfillment or payment.

Notes: food labeling often distinguishes between "fecha de caducidad" (risk of harm after) and other terms like "consumir antes de" or "mejor antes de," which pertain to quality rather than safety. Caducar thus spans legal, administrative, and consumer domains with subtle contextual differences.