ca-dent house
/ˈkeɪ.dənt haʊs/
One of the four houses in an astrological chart that are located just before the four angular houses. The cadent houses are the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th.
The term "cadent" comes from the Latin word cadere, meaning "to fall," which aptly describes the position of these houses as "falling away" from the powerful angles (the Ascendant, IC, Descendant, and Midheaven). In traditional astrology, the cadent houses are considered the weakest of the three modalities of houses (angular, succedent, and cadent). Planets placed in these houses are thought to have less power to act and bring their significations to prominence in the native's life. These houses are associated with transitional, mental, or less tangible areas of life: the 3rd with communication and siblings, the 6th with service and illness, the 9th with higher learning and travel, and the 12th with hidden enemies and self-undoing. For an astrologer, recognizing planets in cadent houses is key to understanding areas where a person's energy may be scattered or expressed in a more indirect or unstable manner.