descender
noun
de·scend·er
di-ˈsen-dər 
ˈdē-ˌsen-
: the part of a lowercase letter (such as p) that descends below the main body of the letter
also
: a letter that has such a part
Examples of descender in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mello was flown down on a winch line using a device called a descender, and Silvera followed on a separate line, holding a camera to capture the shot from a subjective perspective.
—
Todd Longwell, Variety, 10 June 2025
In the scene’s climax, Bullseye stunt double Brian Jansa falls from the rooftop on a descender and is blended into a CG version of the character that hits the concrete below with a wet smack.
—Todd Longwell, Variety, 10 June 2025
The man was washing the windows outside the 35-story RSA Battle House Tower in downtown Mobile when his descender got stuck, Mobile Fire-Rescue said.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 30 July 2024
The ascenders and descenders are consequently short; in her view that gives the font a clinical, businesslike air unsuited to fiction.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
The pair improved readability of the Federal Highway Administration's standard alphabet by tweaking the relative heights of letters and the lengths of ascenders and descenders.
—Wired Staff, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2005
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Todd Longwell, Variety, 10 June 2025
In the scene’s climax, Bullseye stunt double Brian Jansa falls from the rooftop on a descender and is blended into a CG version of the character that hits the concrete below with a wet smack.
—Todd Longwell, Variety, 10 June 2025
The man was washing the windows outside the 35-story RSA Battle House Tower in downtown Mobile when his descender got stuck, Mobile Fire-Rescue said.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 30 July 2024
The ascenders and descenders are consequently short; in her view that gives the font a clinical, businesslike air unsuited to fiction.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
The pair improved readability of the Federal Highway Administration's standard alphabet by tweaking the relative heights of letters and the lengths of ascenders and descenders.
—Wired Staff, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2005
Cite this Entry
“Descender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/descender. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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