descendant
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descendant
- /dɪˈsɛndənt/ Canada, UK, US
- /dɪˈsendənt/ Australia
Rhymes with -ɛndənt
Where it comes from
From Middle English dessendaunte, borrowed from Middle French, from Latin dēscendēns, present participle of descendere, from dē + scandere (“to climb, ascend”).
adjective descendent
- Descending; going down. The elevator resumed its descendant trajectory.
- Descending from a biological ancestor. Power in the kingdom is transferred in a descendant manner.
- Proceeding from a figurative ancestor or source.
noun descendants
-
One of the progeny of a specified person, at any distance of time or through any number of generations.
Meronyms: issue, line, progeny; family; clan
Similar: afterbear · Opposite: ancestor, progenitor, forefather, foremother
- A thing that derives directly from a given precursor or source. This famous medieval manuscript has many descendants.
- A later evolutionary type. Dogs evolved as descendants of early wolves.
- A language that is descended from another. English and Scots are the descendants of Old English.
-
A word or form in one language that is descended from a counterpart in an ancestor language.
The direct descendant of this form is the Slavic aorist: Sb.-Cr. nȍsī, dȍnosī.
Similar: reflex, derivative · Opposite: etymon
- The intersection of the western (setting) horizon and the ecliptic, its ecliptical longitude; the astrological sign it corresponds to.
Similar: offspring, scion, and see Thesaurus:child & relative · Opposite: ascendant, ancestor, forebear
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: descending, descendent, descent, down, black, sinking, secondary, ranking, ebb, derivative, heir, top-down, offspring, ancestry, progeny, scion
Translations
Every language
adj descending from (an ancestor)
| Español | postremo, descendiente |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | वंशज vañśaj |
noun one who is the progeny of someone
| Español | descendiente |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 자손 jason, 후예 huye |
| 日本語 | 子孫 shison, 子種 kodane, 後裔 kōei |
| 中文 | 後裔 /后裔 hòuyì, 子孫 /子孙 zǐsūn, 後嗣 /后嗣 hòusì, 兒孫 /儿孙 érsūn, 後代 /后代 hòudài |
| हिन्दी | वंशज vañśaj |
| Kiswahili | mzao |
| Português | descendente |
| Français | descendant, descendante |
| Deutsch | Nachkomme, Nachkommin, Deszendent, Deszendentin, Spross, Sproß |
| Italiano | discendente |
| Ελληνικά | απόγονος apógonos |
| Română | descendent, descendentă, urmaș, urmașă |
| Русский | пото́мок potómok |
| Tiếng Việt | hậu bối |
| العربية | سَلِيل salīl |
| עברית | צֶאֱצָא tse'etsa |
noun which derives directly from a given precursor or source
| Português | descendente |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Ableger, Abschrift |
noun later evolutionary type
| 中文 | 後裔 /后裔 hòuyì |
|---|---|
| Português | descendente |
| Français | descendant |
| Deutsch | Abkömmling |
| Русский | пото́мок potómok |
Talk about this word "descendant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/descendant. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. descendant. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/descendant "descendant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/descendant.Cite this
@misc{descendant_2026,
title = {descendant},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/descendant},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
