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descendant

[ dih-sen-duhnt ]
/ dɪˈsɛn dənt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR descendant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or animal that is descended from a specific ancestor; an offspring.
something deriving in appearance, function, or general character from an earlier form.
an adherent who follows closely the teachings, methods, practices, etc., of an earlier master, as in art, music, philosophy, etc.; disciple.
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.

adjective

descending; descendent.

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Origin of descendant

1425–75; late Middle English descendaunt (adj.) <Old French descendant, present participle of descendre.See descend, -ant

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH descendant

ancestor, descendant

Words nearby descendant

Descartes, René, descemetitis, descemetocele, Descemet's membrane, descend, descendant, descendent, descender, descendeur, descendible, descending artery of knee
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to descendant

heir, offspring, scion, product, brood, get, progeny, offshoot, spin-off, seed, kin, child, posterity, issue, children, chip off old block

Example sentences from the Web for descendant

British Dictionary definitions for descendant (1 of 2)

descendant
/ (dɪˈsɛndənt) /

noun

a person, animal, or plant when described as descended from an individual, race, species, etc
something that derives or is descended from an earlier form

adjective

a variant spelling of descendent

British Dictionary definitions for descendant (2 of 2)

Descendant
/ (dɪˈsɛndənt) /

noun

astrology the point on the ecliptic lying directly opposite the Ascendant
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