Definition Definition

descent - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'descent' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Descent [ n.]
- The act of descending, or passing downward; change of place from higher to lower.
- Incursion; sudden attack; especially, hostile invasion from sea; -- often followed by upon or on; as, to make a descent upon the enemy.
- Progress downward, as in station, virtue, as in station, virtue, and the like, from a higher to a lower state, from a higher to a lower state, from the more to the less important, from the better to the worse, etc.
- Derivation, as from an ancestor; procedure by generation; lineage; birth; extraction.
- Transmission of an estate by inheritance, usually, but not necessarily, in the descending line; title to inherit an estate by reason of consanguinity.
- Inclination downward; a descending way; inclined or sloping surface; declivity; slope; as, a steep descent.
- That which is descended; descendants; issue.
- A step or remove downward in any scale of gradation; a degree in the scale of genealogy; a generation.
- Lowest place; extreme downward place.
- A passing from a higher to a lower tone.

Meaning of 'descent' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . descent [ n]
Meaning (1):
- properties attributable to your ancestry
Example in sentence:
  • he comes from good origins
Meaning (2):
- the descendants of one individual
Example in sentence:
  • his entire lineage has been warriors
Meaning (3):
- a movement downward
Example in sentence:
  • the rise and fall of the tides

Nearby Words:

descant descanted descanter descanting descend descendant descended descendent descender descendibility

See 'descent' also in:

Dictionary.com Google Translator Wikipedia.com Merriam Webster

Related Definitions

  • Bilateral descent
    Bilateral descent is a kinship system in which both sides of a person’s family are regarded as equally important.
  • Matrilineal descent
    Matrilineal descent is a kinship system in which only the mother’s relatives are significant.
  • Patrilineal descent
    Patrilineal descent is a kinship system in which only the father’s relatives are significant.
  • Descent control
    Descent control is an off-road version of cruise control that uses the ABS and traction control systems to independently manipulate a

Categories

Browse Dictionary