descendant

American  

[dih-sen-duhnt] / dɪˈsɛn dənt /

noun

1. a person or animal that is descended from a specific ancestor; an offspring.

2. something deriving in appearance, function, or general character from an earlier form.

3. an adherent who follows closely the teachings, methods, practices, etc., of an earlier master, as in art, music, philosophy, etc.; disciple.

4. Astrology.

   1. the point opposite the ascendant.

   2. the point of the ecliptic or the sign and degree of the zodiac setting below the western horizon at the time of a birth or of an event.

   3. the cusp of the seventh house.

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adjective

1. descending; descendent.

descendant ¹ British  

/ dɪˈsɛndənt /

noun

1. a person, animal, or plant when described as descended from an individual, race, species, etc

2. something that derives or is descended from an earlier form

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adjective

1. a variant spelling of descendent

Descendant ² British  

/ dɪˈsɛndənt /

noun

1. astrology the point on the ecliptic lying directly opposite the Ascendant

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Etymology

Origin of descendant

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English descendaunt (adjective), from Old French descendant “going down,” present participle of descendre “to go down”; equivalent to descend + -ant

Example Sentences

The land was donated to the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the 1950s by descendants of one of the city’s early oil barons.

From Los Angeles Times

A nation demographically dominated by the descendants of immigrants from every corner of the world is one of the most linguistically homogenous on earth.

From Salon

The association has campaigned on behalf of the descendants of Franco's victims for decades, with its work including the exhumation of mass graves.

From Barron's

"I imagine our descendants see it and will remember those we lost to achieve that goal."

From BBC

It was primarily aimed at the descendants of those who were victims of the transatlantic slave trade.

From BBC

Related Words

• heir
• offspring
• scion