Descend Definition
dĭ-sĕnd
descended, descending, descends
verb
descended, descending, descends
To move from a higher to a lower place; come down or go down.
Webster's New World
To pass from an earlier to a later time, from greater to less, from general to particular, etc.
Webster's New World
To slope or extend downward.
Webster's New World
To be related by genetic descent from an individual or individuals in a previous generation.
He descends from Norwegian immigrants.
American Heritage
To come down (from a source, as from an ancestor)
He is descended from pioneers.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
idiom
be descended from
- To be related to (an ancestor) by genetic descent from an individual or individuals in a previous generation:
She claims to be descended from European royalty.
American Heritage
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Descend
- be descended from
Origin of Descend
-
From Middle English decenden, from Old French descendre, from Latin descendere, past participle descensus (“to come down, go down, fall, sink”), from de- (“down”) + scandere (“to climb”). See scan, scandent. Compare ascend, condescend, transcend.
From Wiktionary
-
Middle English descenden from Old French descendre from Latin dēscendere dē- de- scandere to climb skand- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Descend Is Also Mentioned In
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