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
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.
Much has been written about the women who support Clancy, including those who have descended into conspiracy theorizing.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
Last July, hundreds descended on Australia's Gippsland region from around the country for the most exciting event on the annual table tennis calendar.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—On a humid June weekend, three generations of Lodges descended on a Westin here.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
As they descended the stairs, their over-10-story building in the worst-hit state of La Guaira fell to pieces around them.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
As they descended, they found themselves in an area riddled with crevasses and realized they were on a glacier.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
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.
