descended
Americanadjective
-
having a specified ancestry or ethnic origin.
She was the only daughter of a wealthy baron and his royally descended wife.
-
having gone from a higher place or position to a lower one.
The cooled and descended air then travels along the earth’s surface toward the equator to replace air rising from the equatorial zone.
He was hailed as some descended godhead on earth—an avatar.
-
inherited or transmitted, as through succeeding generations of a family.
Early mammals generally possessed claws, and all existing cat species carry that descended trait.
-
derived from something in the remote past, especially through continuous transmission.
Traditional religions tend to focus on descended practice and ritual rather than on doctrine taught by a religious institution.
verb
Other Word Forms
- undescended adjective
Etymology
Origin of descended
First recorded in 1560–70; descend ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; descend ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar – One night, about 100 women from the Women in Auto Care conference I was attending descended on this place with zero warning — and the staff didn’t miss a beat.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026
As she descended the stage stairs back into the crowd, Kang exclaimed “yay” while holding her gleaming statuette.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026
Dozens of emergency vehicles with lights flashing descended on the scene, as police closed several major streets around the White House.
From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026
In an increasingly common break from the norm, thousands have descended on Spanish destinations - in particular Benidorm - to watch the racing from Prestbury Park.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
“I am Nhamo Jongwe, whose totem is the lion and whose people are descended from kings. I am a woman, not a little girl. I have Mother and Crocodile Guts for company, and—and—the njuzu.”
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
