descendant
[ dih-sen-duh nt ]
/ dɪˈsɛn dənt /
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
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Nearby words
descartes, rené, descemet's membrane, descemetitis, descemetocele, descend, descendant, descended, descendent, descender, descendeur, descendible
Origin of descendant
Can be confusedancestor descendant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for descendants
British Dictionary definitions for descendants (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 descendants (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
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper