Main Entry:

de·scent

Pronunciation:

\di-ˈsent\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French descente, from Anglo-French descendre

Date:

14th century

1 a: derivation from an ancestor : birth, lineage <of French descent> b: transmission or devolution of an estate by inheritance usually in the descending line c: the fact or process of originating from an ancestral stock d: the shaping or development in nature and character by transmission from a source : derivation2: the act or process of descending3: a step downward in a scale of gradation ; specifically : one generation in an ancestral line or genealogical scale4 a: an inclination downward : slope b: a descending way (as a downgrade or stairway) cobsolete : the lowest part5 a: attack, invasion b: a sudden disconcerting appearance (as for a visit)6: a downward step (as in station or value) : decline <descent of the family to actual poverty>