descendant

[ dih-sen-duhnt ]

/ dɪˈsɛn dənt /

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See synonyms for: descendant / descendants 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.

the point opposite the ascendant.
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.
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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use descendant in a sentence

Over the next few years, the breakthrough received widespread media coverage, and when Buri’s hornless descendant graced the cover of Wired magazine in April 2019, it did so as the ostensible face of the livestock industry’s future.
Biotechnology Could Change the Cattle Industry. Will It Succeed?|Dyllan Furness|August 16, 2020|Singularity Hub
That is, the code of life can now be disguised as a full-fledged viral enemy to train the protein descendants of that code.
How Fake Viruses Can Help Us Make the Best Possible Vaccines|Shelly Fan|July 7, 2020|Singularity Hub
The size and spacing of the 106-million-year-old tracks suggest the crocodylomorph was 2 to 3 meters long — a fearsome predator similar in size to its modern descendants, researchers report June 11 in Scientific Reports.
Fossil footprints show some crocodile ancestors walked on two legs|Carolyn Gramling|June 12, 2020|Science News
The story (and some DNA evidence) goes, the locals are the descendants of a band of Roman soldiers from 36 B.C.
The Chinese Town Descended From Romans?|Nina Strochlic|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Washington was a passionate advocate for an intensely practical education for ex-slaves and their descendants.
College Must Be More Than Just a Classy Trade School|Michael S. Roth|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The discussion of reparations for descendants of slaves saw some chatter this year after a piece in The Atlantic.
Sherman Alexie on His New Film, the Redskins, and Why It's OK to Laugh at His Work|William O’Connor|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The intellectual descendants of Hobbes and Rousseau tend to regard government as either a cure for or a cause of violence.
War! What Is It Good For? A Lot|Nick Romeo|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And their message was one tailored to the disaffected young descendants of Muslim immigrants in Europe.
ISIS’s Black Flags Are Flying in Europe|Nadette De Visser|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What the armor-bearer was for the warlike races of old, such is the tchbukdi for their degenerate descendants.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Our voluntary service regulars are the last descendants of those rulers of the ancient world, the Roman Legionaries.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
It is very seldom that any pure descendants of the original inhabitants are to be seen; we met with only two.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
The Dauphin would be perfectly willing to renounce them for himself and for all his descendants.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
Her descendants have been exempted from the taille (poll tax)—a mean and shameful recompense!
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)

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

descendant

Origin of descendant

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH descendant

Words related to descendant

How to use descendant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for descendant (1 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for descendant (2 of 2)