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descender

American  
[dih-sen-der] / dɪˈsɛn dər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that descends.

  2. Printing.

    1. the part of a lowercase letter that goes below the body.

    2. a letter having such a part, as p, q, j, or y.


descender British  
/ dɪˈsɛndə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that descends

  2. printing the portion of a letter, such as j, p, or y, below the level of the base of an x or n

"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

Etymology

Origin of descender

First recorded in 1660–70; descend + -er 1


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.

See Examples For:

I want to be the smooth, speedy giant-slalom racing descender, but I'm not.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2019

Ms. Grimmelsman says she is the better climber and her husband is the better descender.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2018

Sagan, who comes from a mountain biking background, is a noted descender.

From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2015

An expert descender, he then sped home down the twisting, narrow drop to the fishing port and tourist resort of Pontevedra.

From New York Times ● Aug. 30, 2012

Helene plays for time as I frantically untangle the ropes and straighten the descender.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

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