Definitions for descent
dɪˈsɛntde·scent

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:1.0 / 2 votes

1. descentnoun

   a movement downward

2. origin, descent, extractionnoun

   properties attributable to your ancestry

   "he comes from good origins"

3. descentnoun

   the act of changing your location in a downward direction

4. descent, line of descent, lineage, filiationnoun

   the kinship relation between an individual and the individual's progenitors

5. descent, declivity, fall, decline, declination, declension, downslopenoun

   a downward slope or bend

6. lineage, line, line of descent, descent, bloodline, blood line, blood, pedigree, ancestry, origin, parentage, stemma, stocknoun

   the descendants of one individual

   "his entire lineage has been warriors"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. descentnoun

   An instance of descending

   We climbed the mountain with difficulty, but the descent was easier.

2. descentnoun

   A way down.

   We had difficulty in finding the correct descent.

3. descentnoun

   A sloping passage or incline.

   The descent into the cavern was wet and slippery.

4. descentnoun

   Lineage or hereditary derivation

   Our guide was of Welsh descent.

5. descentnoun

   A drop to a lower status or condition.

   After that, the holiday went into a steep descent.

6. Etymology: From and descente, from descendre; see descend. Compare ascent, ascend.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Descentnoun

   Etymology: descensus, Latin; descente, French.

   1. The act of passing from a higher place.

   Why do fragments, from a mountain rent,
   Tend to the earth with such a swift descent? Richard Blackmore.

   2. Progress downwards.

   Observing such gradual and gentle descents downwards, in those parts of the creation that are beneath men, the rule of analogy may make it probable, that it is so also in things above. John Locke.

   3. Obliquity; inclination.

   The heads and sources of rivers flow upon a descent, or an inclining plane, without which they could not flow at all. John Woodward, Natural History, p. iii.

   4. Lowest place.

   From th’ extremest upward of thy head,
   To the descent and dust below thy feet,
   A most toad-spotted traitor. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

   5. Invasion; hostile entrance into a kingdom: in allusion to the height of ships.

   At the first descent on shore, he was not immured with a wooden vessel, but he did countenance the landing in his long-boat. Henry Wotton.

   The duke was general himself, and made that unfortunate descent upon the Isle of Ree, which was attended with a miserable retreat, in which the flower of the army was lost. Edward Hyde.

   Arise, true judges, in your own defence,
   Controul those foplings, and declare for sense;
   For should the fools prevail, they stop not there,
   But make their next descent upon the fair. Dryden.

   6. Transmission of any thing by succession and inheritance.

   If the agreement and consent of men first gave a sceptre into any one’s hand, that also must direct its descent and conveyance. John Locke.

   7. The state of proceeding from an original or progenitor.

   All of them, even without such a particular claim, had great reason to glory in their common descent from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to whom the promise of the blessed seed was severally made. Francis Atterbury, Sermons.

   8. Birth; extraction; process of lineage.

   I give my voice on Richard’s side,
   To bar my master’s heirs in true descent!
   God knows, I will not do it. William Shakespeare, Richard III.

   Turnus, for high descent and graceful mien,
   Was first, and favour’d by the Latian queen. John Dryden, Æn.

   9. Offspring; inheritors; those proceeding in the line of generation.

   The care of our descent perplexes us most,
   Which must be born to certain woe. John Milton, Paradise Lost.

   From him
   His whole descent, who thus shall Canaan win. John Milton, P. L.

   10. A single step in the scale of genealogy; a generation.

   No man living is a thousand descents removed from Adam himself. Richard Hooker, b. iii. s. 1.

   Then all the sons of these five brethren reign’d
   By due success, and all their nephews late,
   Even thrice eleven descents the crown retain’d,
   ’Till aged Heli by due heritage it gain’d. Fairy Queen, b. ii.

   11. A rank in the scale or order of being.

   How have I then, with whom to hold converse,
   Save with the creatures which I made, and those
   To me inferior; infinite descents
   Beneath what other creatures are to thee. John Milton, P. Lost.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Descentnoun

   the act of descending, or passing downward; change of place from higher to lower

2. Descentnoun

   incursion; sudden attack; especially, hostile invasion from sea; -- often followed by upon or on; as, to make a descent upon the enemy

3. Descentnoun

   progress downward, as in station, virtue, as in station, virtue, and the like, from a higher to a lower state, from a higher to a lower state, from the more to the less important, from the better to the worse, etc

4. Descentnoun

   derivation, as from an ancestor; procedure by generation; lineage; birth; extraction

5. Descentnoun

   transmission of an estate by inheritance, usually, but not necessarily, in the descending line; title to inherit an estate by reason of consanguinity

6. Descentnoun

   inclination downward; a descending way; inclined or sloping surface; declivity; slope; as, a steep descent

7. Descentnoun

   that which is descended; descendants; issue

8. Descentnoun

   a step or remove downward in any scale of gradation; a degree in the scale of genealogy; a generation

9. Descentnoun

   lowest place; extreme downward place

10. Descentnoun

    a passing from a higher to a lower tone

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Descent

   Descent is a 3D first-person shooter video game developed by Parallax Software and released by Interplay on March 17, 1995. The game features six degrees of freedom gameplay and garnered several expansion packs. It spawned two direct sequels: Descent II and Descent 3. The trademark registration for Descent was allowed to lapse by Interplay in 2002 and was re-registered in 2008.

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. descent

   The landing of troops for the purpose of invading a country. The passage down a river.

Matched Categories

1. • Change Of Location
   • Lineage
   • Motion

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'descent' in Nouns Frequency: #2854

Anagrams for descent »

1. scented

How to pronounce descent?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say descent in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of descent in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of descent in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of descent in a Sentence

1. Electricity Minister Luis Motta:

   It's still going down, but we're slowing the descent in hope rain comes.

2. Sir William Schwenck Gilbert:

   I am, in point of fact, a particularly haughty and exclusive person, of pre-Adamite ancestral descent. You will understand this when I tell you that I can trace my ancestry back to a protoplasmal primordial atomic globule.

3. John Dryden:

   The gates of Hell are open night and day Smooth the descent, and easy is the way But, to return, and view the cheerful skies In this, the task and mighty labor lies.

4. Astronaut Scott Kelly:

   We checked them to make sure that they were still going to protect us if we needed to use them, we have some kind of on-orbit training that covers the descent procedures, so we're fresh with those. We talked to the specialists on the ground about all operations from the time we close the hatch until the time we get pulled out of the Soyuz. So, it's a pretty busy time. It's important, clearly, when you're coming back from space that we get everything right.

5. Colombian Jarlinson Pantano:

   I dreamt of this all my life, I'm so happy, majka had won several Tour stages (three) and I was wary of him in the finale but I had good sensations. I knew that if I was catching him in the descent I'd have a good chance to win.

Popularity rank by frequency of use