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v. de·scend·ed, de·scend·ing, de·scends v.intr. 1. To move from a higher to a lower place; come or go down. 2. To slope, extend, or incline downward: "A rough path descended like a steep stair into the plain" (J.R.R. Tolkien). 3. a. To be related by genetic descent from an individual or individuals in a previous generation: He descends from Norwegian immigrants. b. To come down from a source; derive: a tradition descending from colonial days. c. To pass by inheritance: The house has descended through four generations. 4. To lower oneself; stoop: "She, the conqueror, had descended to the level of the conquered" (James Bryce). 5. To proceed or progress downward, as in rank, pitch, or scale: titles listed in descending order of importance; notes that descended to the lower register. 6. To arrive or attack in a sudden or overwhelming manner: summer tourists descending on the seashore village. v.tr. Idiom: 1. To move from a higher to lower part of; go down: I descended the staircase into the basement. 2. To extend or proceed downward along: a road that descended the mountain in sharp curves. be descended from To be related to (an ancestor) by genetic descent from an individual or individuals in a previous generation: She claims to be descended from European royalty. [Middle English descenden, from Old French descendre, from Latin dēscendere : dē-, de- + scandere, to climb; see skand- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] de·scendi·ble, de·scenda·ble adj. |
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