descendant

¹de·scen·dant

adjective \di-ˈsen-dənt\

Definition of DESCENDANT

1

: moving or directed downward

2

: proceeding from an ancestor or source

Variants of DESCENDANT

de·scen·dant also de·scen·dent \di-ˈsen-dənt\

Examples of DESCENDANT

1. <the descendant branches of a weeping willow>

Origin of DESCENDANT

Middle English dessendaunte, from Anglo-French descendant, from Latin descendent-, descendens, present participle of descendere

First Known Use: circa 1555

Related to DESCENDANT

Synonyms

bowed, bowing, declined, declining, nodding (also descendent), descending, drooping, droopy, hanging, hung, inclining, pendulous, sagging, stooping, weeping

Antonyms

unbending, upright

Related Words

floppy, limp; dangling, falling, pendent (or pendant), suspended; dipping, sinking, slumping

Near Antonyms

erect, inflexible, rigid, stiff; elevated, raised, upraised

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

Rhymes with DESCENDANT

appendant, ascendant, attendant, defendant, dependent, impendent, intendant, transcendent

²descendant

noun

Definition of DESCENDANT

1

: one descended from another or from a common stock

2

: one deriving directly from a precursor or prototype

Variants of DESCENDANT

descendant also descendent

Examples of DESCENDANT

1. One of the famous inventor's descendants is also an inventor.
2. Many people in this area are descendants of German immigrants.
3. Recent evidence supports the theory that birds are the modern descendants of dinosaurs.
4. The Italian language is one of Latin's descendants.

Origin of DESCENDANT

French & Latin; French descendant, from Late Latin descendent-, descendens, from Latin

First Known Use: 1600

Other Genetics Terms

chimera, hermaphrodite, plasticity