descent
descent definition
de·scent (dē sent′, di-)
noun
- a descending; coming down or going down
- lineage; ancestry
- one generation (in a specified lineage)
- a downward slope
- a way down or downward
- a sudden attack, raid, or invasion (on or upon)
- a decline; fall
- a stooping (to an act)
- 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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