Main Entry:

de·scend

Pronunciation:

\di-ˈsend, dē-\

Function:

verb

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French descendre, from Latin descendere, from de- + scandere to climb — more at scan

Date:

13th century

intransitive verb1: to pass from a higher place or level to a lower one <descended from the platform>2: to pass in discussion from what is logically prior or more comprehensive3 a: to originate or come from an ancestral stock or source : derive <descends from an old merchant family> b: to pass by inheritance <a desk that has descended in the family> c: to pass by transmission <songs descended from old ballads>4: to incline, lead, or extend downward <the road descends to the river>5 a: to swoop or pounce down (as in a sudden attack) b: to appear suddenly and often disconcertingly as if from above <reporters descended on the candidate>6: to proceed in a sequence or gradation from higher to lower or from more remote to nearer or more recent7 a: to lower oneself in status or dignity : stoop b: to worsen and sink in condition or estimationtransitive verb1: to pass, move, or climb down or down along2: to extend down along

— de·scend·ible \-ˈsen-də-bəl\ adjective