descendant
[dih-sen-duh nt]
- 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.
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Origin of descendant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for descendants
Contemporary Examples
The story (and some DNA evidence) goes, the locals are the descendants of a band of Roman soldiers from 36 B.C.
Washington was a passionate advocate for an intensely practical education for ex-slaves and their descendants.
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 WorkWilliam O’Connor
August 22, 2014
At the same event, another speaker reportedly referred to Jews as “descendants of monkeys and pigs.”
What this means is that the idea of popes as descendants of St. Peter is about controlling bishops, not churchgoers.
Historical Examples
The fate of the ancestor had been typical of that of his descendants.
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
It is doubtful whether Palaeolithic man has left any descendants.
English VillagesP. H. Ditchfield
Sir, may we know who are the descendants of the New England kidnappers?
Slavery Ordained of GodRev. Fred A. Ross, D.D.
Each individual, therefore, continues to live in his descendants.
The Sexual QuestionAugust Forel
It is our duty to our descendants to contribute as far as is in our power to its accomplishment.
The Sexual QuestionAugust Forel
descendant
- 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
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- a variant spelling of descendent
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Descendant
- astrology the point on the ecliptic lying directly opposite the Ascendant
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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
Word Origin and History for descendants
descendant
mid-15c. (adj.), c.1600 (n.), from French descendant (13c.), present participle of descendre (see descend). Despite a tendency to use descendent for the adjective and descendant for the noun, descendant seems to be prevailing in all uses and appears 5 times more often than its rival in books printed since 1900. Cf. dependant.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper