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.
According to Plutarch, writing nearly five centuries later: “The sun was eclipsed and as darkness descended, everyone was struck with terror, thinking it a portent.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
As a young postdoctoral scientist, he joined pioneering expeditions and descended more than a mile below the ocean surface in the submersible Alvin, where he observed thriving ecosystems in total darkness.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
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
The week started with feverish excitement as thousands of Irish fans - most of whom didn't have a ticket to the game - descended on Prague.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
“An iron curtain has descended across the Continent,” declared Winston Churchill, Britain’s prime minister during World War II, while visiting America in 1946.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
