descend

[ dih-send ]

/ dɪˈsɛnd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR descend ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to go or pass from a higher to a lower place; move or come down: to descend from the mountaintop.

to pass from higher to lower in any scale or series.

to go from generals to particulars, as in a discussion.

to slope, tend, or lead downward: The path descends to the pond.

to be inherited or transmitted, as through succeeding generations of a family: The title descends through eldest sons.

to have a specific person or family among one's ancestors (usually followed by from): He is descended from Cromwell.

to be derived from something remote in time, especially through continuous transmission: This festival descends from a druidic rite.

to approach or pounce upon, especially in a greedy or hasty manner (followed by on or upon): Thrill-seekers descended upon the scene of the crime.

to settle, as a cloud or vapor.

to appear or become manifest, as a supernatural being, state of mind, etc.: Jupiter descended to humankind.

to attack, especially with violence and suddenness (usually followed by on or upon): to descend upon enemy soldiers.

to sink or come down from a certain intellectual, moral, or social standard: He would never descend to baseness.

Astronomy. to move toward the horizon, as the sun or a star.

verb (used with object)

to move downward upon or along; go or climb down (stairs, a hill, etc.).

to extend or lead down along: The path descends the hill.

Origin of descend

1250–1300; Middle English descenden < Old French descendre < Latin dēscendere, equivalent to dē- de- + -scendere, combining form of scandere to climb; cf. scansion

OTHER WORDS FROM descend

de·scend·ing·ly, adverb pre·de·scend, verb re·de·scend, verb un·de·scend·ed, adjective

un·de·scend·ing, adjective

Words nearby descend

descartes' law, descartes, rené, descemet's membrane, descemetitis, descemetocele, descend, descendant, descendent, descender, descendeur, descendible

Example sentences from the Web for descended

A fog of conspiracy—of logic against logic, as Orwell put it—has descended on every major event in the war.

Digital Doublethink: Playing Truth or Dare with Putin, Assad and ISIS |Christopher Dickey, Anna Nemtsova |November 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The war Bolotov called for had descended on a Ukrainian Interior Ministry base.

The Sky Explodes Over Luhansk, and Kiev Blames the Separatists |Anna Nemtsova |June 4, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The women belonged to the Pa-O tribe and wore red head coverings as a reminder of the dragon from which they are descended.

A Little Too Off the Beaten Path in Burma |Katya Cengel |June 2, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The young Royals have descended on Memphis, with visits to Graceland and boozy partying keeping the paparazzi happy.

Lizzy Wilson, The American Heiress Who Brought Harry to Memphis |Tom Sykes |May 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

When Bratton descended to the trains, a man was pacing the platform edge, ranting in Spanish.

My Patrol With the NYPD’s Bill Bratton |Michael Daly |March 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
When Gwynne and Isabel descended the steps and stood looking down upon the scene for a moment, the younger people were dancing.

Ancestors |Gertrude Atherton
Benito descended very gently, and again found himself on the firm sand.

Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon |Jules Verne
After feeding our animals, we descended the river till four o'clock, and halted on its banks for the night.

Early Western Travels 1748-1846, Volume 28 |Various
Without further speech they picked up the bundle and descended laboriously into the garden.

The House by the River |A. P. Herbert
The gates of the palace were open, so I descended from my mule and entered, and lo!

George Cruikshank's Omnibus |George Cruikshank

British Dictionary definitions for descended

descend

/ (dɪˈsɛnd) /

verb (mainly intr)

(also tr) to move, pass, or go down (a hill, slope, staircase, etc)

(of a hill, slope, or path) to lead or extend down; slope; incline

to move to a lower level, pitch, etc; fall

(often foll by from) to be connected by a blood relationship (to a dead or extinct individual, race, species, etc)

to be passed on by parents or ancestors; be inherited

to sink or come down in morals or behaviour; lower oneself

(often foll by on or upon) to arrive or attack in a sudden or overwhelming way their relatives descended upon them last week

(of the sun, moon, etc) to move towards the horizon

Derived forms of descend

descendable, adjective

Word Origin for descend

C13: from Old French descendre, from Latin dēscendere, from de- + scandere to climb; see scan

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

descend

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

Origin of descend

OTHER WORDS FROM descend

Words nearby descend

Example sentences from the Web for descended

British Dictionary definitions for descended

verb (mainly intr)

Derived forms of descend

Word Origin for descend

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

descend

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

Origin of descend

OTHER WORDS FROM descend

Words nearby descend

Words related to descended

Example sentences from the Web for descended

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for descended

verb (mainly intr)

Derived forms of descend

Word Origin for descend

British Dictionary definitions for descended