- de|scend
- de|scend «dih SEHND», intransitive verb.1. to go or come down from a higher place to a lower place: »
The river descends from the mountains to the sea. He descended in a parachute. Figurative. The shades of evening began to descend (William Forbes).
SYNONYM(S): fall, sink.2. to go or come down from an earlier to a later time: »a superstition descended from the Middle Ages.
3. to go from greater to fewer numbers; go from higher to lower on any scale: »The numbers 75-50-25 form a series that descends.
4. to slope downward: »The path descended from the cliff to the beach.
5. a) to make a sudden attack: »The wolves descended on the sheep and killed them.
b) Figurative: »Hordes of relatives began to descend on the rich man.
6. to be handed down from parent to child; pass by inheritance: »This land has been in our family for 150 years, descending from father to son.
7. to come down or spring from; have as ancestors: »He is descended from pioneers.
9. to proceed from general things to particular things in speaking or writing.10. Astronomy. to move toward the horizon or toward the south.–v.t.to go or come down; move downward upon or along: »to descend the stairs to the basement. The winding trail descends the mountain.
╂[< Old French descendre < Latin dēscendere < dē- down + scandere climb]
Useful english dictionary. 2012.
