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.

Words nearby descend

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

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, adverbpre·de·scend, verbre·de·scend, verbun·de·scend·ed, adjective

un·de·scend·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for descend

Even before she could descend to tell her story, rumors were spreading to discredit her.
Breaking Mount Everest’s Glass Ceiling|Amanda Padoan, Peter Zuckerman|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Just one more note of caution before we descend down the rapids of morality and ethics.
Never Forget? The CIA Report and the Problem With Hindsight|Philip Mudd|March 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So they had to make me this waterproof renaissance gown and I would have to descend into the hot tub for rehearsal.
Michaela Watkins: Fired From ‘SNL’ To Hollywood’s Funniest Scene-Stealer|Kevin Fallon|March 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So I never allow myself to take anything for granted (or the fanged writing gods will descend on me).
Benjamin Percy: How I Write|Noah Charney|June 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Good news for the East Coast: the millions of cicadas about to descend on our fine region are basically a swarm of free meals.
Cicadas, Grasshoppers, Locusts, Ants Among the Tastiest Insects|Nina Strochlic|May 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It meant, too, that the additional disgrace of being summarily dismissed would not descend upon her.
The Trail Horde|Charles Alden Seltzer
We descend into it by a flight of steps, and the depth of water it contains varies with the height of the Tiber.
Walks in Rome|Augustus J.C. Hare
Then he strode away, stepped through the trapdoor, began to descend, disappeared.
Children of the Market Place|Edgar Lee Masters
From these you will discern the valley, and can descend into it.
The Magician's Show Box and Other Stories|Lydia Maria Child
They then began to descend the stairs, and Azgid, observing a couple of figures on the landing, asked the Vizier who they were.
Eastern Tales by Many Story Tellers|Various

British Dictionary definitions for descend

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 waytheir 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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

descend

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

Words related to descend

Words nearby descend

Origin of descend

OTHER WORDS FROM descend

Examples from the Web for descend

British Dictionary definitions for descend

verb (mainly intr)

Derived forms of descend

Word Origin for descend