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• descendant
  descendant

  noun

  a person or animal that is descended from a specific ancestor; an offspring.
• Descendant
  Descendant

  noun

  astrology the point on the ecliptic lying directly opposite the Ascendant

descendant

American  

[dih-sen-duhnt] / dɪˈsɛn dənt /

noun

• descendants
  plural

1. a person or animal that is descended from a specific ancestor; an offspring.

2. something deriving in appearance, function, or general character from an earlier form.

3. an adherent who follows closely the teachings, methods, practices, etc., of an earlier master, as in art, music, philosophy, etc.; disciple.

4. Astrology.

   1. the point opposite the ascendant.

   2. 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.

   3. the cusp of the seventh house.

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adjective

1. descending; descendent.

descendant ¹ British  

/ dɪˈsɛndənt /

noun

1. a person, animal, or plant when described as descended from an individual, race, species, etc

2. something that derives or is descended from an earlier form

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adjective

1. a variant spelling of descendent

Descendant ² British  

/ dɪˈsɛndənt /

noun

1. astrology the point on the ecliptic lying directly opposite the Ascendant

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• descendants
  plural

Etymology

Origin of descendant

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English descendaunt (adjective), from Old French descendant “going down,” present participle of descendre “to go down”; equivalent to descend + -ant

Explanation

The word descendant refers to something that has come down. For example, everyone is a descendant, or the end of a line of ancestors, just as modern art is a descendant of past art that contributed to its style and technique. The word descendant comes from the word "descend" which means to move in a downward direction. Note that the word can also be spelled with an "-ent" ending. Philosopher Herbert Spencer wrote, “The wise man must remember that while he is a descendant of the past, he is a parent of the future.” Have you ever wondered what your descendants will know about you? Perhaps you could leave them your peanut butter and banana sandwich recipe.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

descendant Descendant descendants

In 2021, DNA from a living descendant allowed researchers to identify John Gregory, Engineer of HMS Erebus.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

Goode’s third, “Monsters of God,” premiering Thursday on HBO, is both a direct descendant and forges a new path.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

His dynastic claim was that he was a descendant of Eowa, the brother of Penda, a great Mercian warrior who had lived a hundred years before.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

The case was brought to Brand's attention by a man who told him he was a descendant of Seyffardt and that he was "disgusted" to learn his family had kept the artwork for years.

From BBC ● May 11, 2026

The name of the island was changed to Aegina in honor of the maiden, and her son Aeacus was the grandfather of Achilles, who was called sometimes Aeacides, descendant of Aeacus.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Perhaps more significant was the 2018 publication of “Engaging Descendant Communities in the Interpretation of Slavery,” a guide for museums willing to build relationships with descendant communities to interpret more inclusive histories for the public.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 29, 2022

DeGioia said he would “engage key leaders in our Georgetown, Descendant and Jesuit communities and our faculty, board, and student leadership to chart a path forward”.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 15, 2019

Descendant of Thieves: Specializing in shirts and knit tops, the staples designed by Dres Ladro and Matteo Maniatty carry a whiff of their Mediterranean heritage.

From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2017

Descendant Norma Longoria Rodriguez, Martinez told me, “conducted oral histories with the family, and created her own private archive of the lives of the men.”

From Slate ● May 5, 2016

The youngest Descendant of the first Family was Pleasure, who was the Daughter of Happiness, who was the Child of Virtue, who was the Offspring of the Gods.

From The Spectator, Volume 1 Eighteenth-Century Periodical Essays by Joseph Addison

There are pockets of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji where some even identify as descendants from one of the "Lost Tribes of Israel".

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Choosing per stirpes can provide a hedge if a child has children before the beneficiary designation is updated, so that a deceased child’s share will pass on to their descendants.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

By the second generation, researchers found elevated fasting blood sugar in male descendants of the sucralose group and female descendants of the stevia group.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

Ghodla and Ilie investigated whether the descendants of such ancient seeds could persist through cosmic time, grow alongside their host galaxies, eventually pair up, and generate the gravitational wave background detected billions of years later.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

To that end, Cope willed his bones to the Wistar Institute, a learned society in Philadelphia endowed by the descendants of the seemingly inescapable Caspar Wistar.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• heir
• offspring
• scion