descendant

1 of 2

adjective

de·​scen·​dant di-ˈsen-dənt How to pronounce descendant (audio)
variants or less commonly descendent
1
: moving or directed downward
listed in descendant order
2
: proceeding from an ancestor or source

descendant

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly descendent
1
: one originating or coming from an ancestral stock or source : one descended from another
descendants of King David
a descendant of an ancient grass
2
: one deriving directly from a precursor or prototype
Italian and other descendants of Latin

Examples of descendant in a Sentence

Adjective the descendant branches of a weeping willow Noun One of the famous inventor's descendants is also an inventor. Many people in this area are descendants of German immigrants. Recent evidence supports the theory that birds are the modern descendants of dinosaurs. The Italian language is one of Latin's descendants.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The integrative approach of the study led to the exciting identification of the exact event that triggered the signals: the Dickson Fjord rockslide, megatsunami and the descendant waves that persisted. Carly Miller, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024 Until this election, the JVP remained a minor third party in Sri Lanka’s political landscape, while power alternated between the alliances led by the two traditional political parties – the United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party – or their descendant parties. Vidhura S. Tennekoon, The Conversation, 23 Sep. 2024
Noun
These women bring an energy that speaks to both resistance and liberation — as descendants of enslaved people and as women. Jameelah Nasheed, Essence, 22 Oct. 2024 The seven victims were among the dozens of people who traveled to Sapelo Island last weekend to celebrate the Gullah-Geechee, a community of descendants of Africans who were enslaved on coastal plantations in the South. Rebekah Riess, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for descendant 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'descendant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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

Noun

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

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1569, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of descendant was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near descendant

Cite this Entry

“Descendant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descendant. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

descendant

1 of 2 adjective
de·​scend·​ant
variants also descendent
di-ˈsen-dənt
1
: moving or directed downward
2
: proceeding from an ancestor or source

descendant

2 of 2 noun
variants also descendent
1
: one descended from another or from a common stock
2
: one coming directly from an earlier and usually similar type or individual

Legal Definition

descendant

noun
de·​scen·​dant
variants also descendent
di-ˈsen-dənt
: a blood relative of a later generation

More from Merriam-Webster on descendant

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