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 verb 1 : 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 comprehensive
3 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 recent
7 a : to lower oneself in status or dignity : stoop b : to worsen and sink in condition or estimationtransitive verb 1 : to pass, move, or climb down or down along
2 : to extend down along

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