descend

[ dih-send ]

/ dɪˈsɛnd /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

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

Related forms

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. 2019

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

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