descent Hear it!

descent definition

de·scent (dē sent′, di-)

noun

  1. a descending; coming down or going down
  2. lineage; ancestry
  3. one generation (in a specified lineage)
  4. a downward slope
  5. a way down or downward
  6. a sudden attack, raid, or invasion (on or upon)
  7. a decline; fall
  8. a stooping (to an act)
  9. Law transference (of property) to heirs or offspring by inheritance

Etymology: ME descent < OFr descente < descendre: see descend

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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