DESCENDANT

descendant, descendent

(adjective) proceeding by descent from an ancestor; “descendent gene”

descendant, descendent

(adjective) going or coming down

descendant, descendent

(noun) a person considered as descended from some ancestor

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

descendant (not comparable)

descending from a biological ancestor.

proceeding from a figurative ancestor or source.

Usage notes

The adjective may be spelled either with ant or ent as the final syllable (see descendent). The noun may be spelled only with ant.

Antonyms

• ascendant, ascendent, ascending

Noun

descendant (plural descendants)

(literally) One who is the progeny of a specified person, at any distance of time or through any number of generations.

(figuratively) A thing that derives directly from a given precursor or source.

(biology) A later evolutionary type.

(linguistics) A language that is descended from another.

(linguistics) A word or form in one language that is descended from a counterpart in an ancestor language.

Usage notes

The adjective may be spelled either with ant or ent as the final syllable (see descendent). The noun may be spelled only with ant.

Synonyms

• (offspring): afterbear, offspring, scion, and see child & relative

Antonyms

• ascendant

• ancestor

• forebear

Source: Wiktionary


De*scend"ant, a. Etym: [F. descendant, p. pr. of descendre. Cf. Descendent.]

Definition: Descendent.

De*scend"ant, n.

Definition: One who descends, as offspring, however remotely; -- correlative to ancestor or ascendant. Our first parents and their descendants. Hale. The descendant of so many kings and emperors. Burke.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

6 March 2025

LEPTOMENINGES

(noun) the two innermost layers of the meninges; cerebrospinal fluid circulates between these innermost layers


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Coffee Trivia

The average annual yield from one coffee tree is the equivalent of 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of roasted coffee. It takes about 4,000 hand-picked green coffee beans to make a pound of coffee.

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