descendant

1 of 2

adjective

de·​scen·​dant di-ˈsen-dənt 

variants or less commonly descendent

1

: moving or directed downward

listed in descendant order

2

: proceeding from an ancestor or source

descendant

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly descendent

1

: one originating or coming from an ancestral stock or source : one descended from another

descendants of King David

a descendant of an ancient grass

2

: one deriving directly from a precursor or prototype

Italian and other descendants of Latin

Synonyms

Adjective

• bowed
• bowing
• declined
• declining
• descending
• drooping
• droopy
• hanging
• hung
• inclining
• nodding
• pendulous
• sagging
• stooping
• weeping

Examples of descendant in a Sentence

Adjective

the descendant branches of a weeping willow

Noun

One of the famous inventor's descendants is also an inventor.

Many people in this area are descendants of German immigrants.

Recent evidence supports the theory that birds are the modern descendants of dinosaurs.

The Italian language is one of Latin's descendants.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Fitzjames is the second expedition member to be identified from descendant DNA. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024

The integrative approach of the study led to the exciting identification of the exact event that triggered the signals: the Dickson Fjord rockslide, megatsunami and the descendant waves that persisted. —Carly Miller, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024

Noun

Aid groups have warned that there is no immediate replacement for UNRWA, which provides education, healthcare and emergency aid to millions of Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation and their descendants. —Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024

Israeli officials have rejected UNRWA’s definition of which Palestinians are eligible for refugee status, arguing that descendants of the 1948 refugees do not qualify and thus don’t have the right to return to their ancestral homes in what is now Israel. —Nadeen Ebrahim and Salma Arafa, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English dessendaunte, from Anglo-French descendant, from Latin descendent-, descendens, present participle of descendere — see descend

Noun

French & Latin; French descendant, from Late Latin descendent-, descendens, from Latin

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1569, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

descendant

1 of 2 adjective

de·​scend·​ant

variants also descendent

di-ˈsen-dənt

1

: moving or directed downward

2

: proceeding from an ancestor or source

descendant

2 of 2 noun

variants also descendent

1

: one descended from another or from a common stock

2

: one coming directly from an earlier and usually similar type or individual

Legal Definition

descendant

noun

de·​scen·​dant

variants also descendent

di-ˈsen-dənt

: a blood relative of a later generation