Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Cadency \Ca"den*cy\, n.
   Descent of related families; distinction between the members
   of a family according to their ages.

   {Marks of cadency} (Her.), bearings indicating the position
      of the bearer as older or younger son, or as a descendant
      of an older or younger son. See {Difference} (Her.).