cadency
noun
[ ˈkeɪd(ə)nsi ]
• the status of a younger branch of a family.
• "the arms of younger sons are differenced by marks of cadency"
Origin:
early 17th century (in the sense ‘rhythm or metrical beat’): based on Latin cadent- ‘falling’, from the verb cadere . The current sense is apparently by association with cadet.
