Descent definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

A descent is a movement from a higher to a lower level or position. During their descent from the summit, a storm swept in. ... A descent is a surface that slopes ... EnglishDictionary Thesaurus WordLists Grammar EnglishEasyLearningGrammar GrammarPatterns EnglishUsage TeachingResources VideoGuides Conjugations Sentences Quiz Englishgrammar Englishcollocations Englishconfusables Englishidioms Englishusage Thematicwordlists English French German Italian Spanish Portuguese Hindi Chinese Korean Japanese Definitionof 'descent'    WordFrequency Share× Credits× descent (dɪsent ) Wordforms:pluraldescents 1. variablenoun Adescentisamovementfromahighertoalowerlevelorposition. Duringtheirdescentfromthesummit,astormsweptin. ...thecrashofanAirbusA300onitsdescentintoKathmanduairport.[+into] Synonyms:fall,drop,plunge,comingdown MoreSynonymsofdescent 2. countablenoun Adescentisasurfacethatslopesdownwards,forexamplethesideofasteephill. Onthedescents,cyclistsspinpastcars,freewheelingdownhillattremendousspeed. Synonyms:slope,drop,dip,incline MoreSynonymsofdescent 3. singularnoun Whenyouwanttoemphasizethatasituationbecomesverybad,youcantalkaboutsomeone'sorsomething'sdescentintothatsituation. [emphasis]Withoutapoliticalsettlement,thedescentintochaoswillbeguaranteed. ...hisswiftdescentfromrespectedacademictohomelessalcoholic.[+from/to] Synonyms:decline,deterioration,degradation,decadence MoreSynonymsofdescent 4. uncountablenoun[usuofadjN] Youusedescenttotalkaboutaperson'sfamilybackground,forexampletheirnationalityorsocialstatus. [formal]AllthecontributorswereofAfricandescent. Synonyms:origin,extraction,ancestry,lineage MoreSynonymsofdescent COBUILDAdvancedEnglishDictionary.Copyright©HarperCollinsPublishers Video:pronunciationof descent Youmayalsolike EnglishQuizConfusables Synonymsof'descent' LanguageLover'sBlog FrenchTranslationof'descent' WordList'Propertylawterms' Translateyourtext PronunciationPlaylists Wordoftheday:'odonatology' HindiTranslationof'descent' NEWfromCollins! EnglishGrammar CollinsApps WordFrequency descentinBritishEnglish (dɪˈsɛnt ) noun1. theactofdescending 2. adownwardslopeorinclination 3. apassage,path,orwayleadingdownwards 4. derivationfromanancestororancestralgroup;lineage 5. (ingenealogy)agenerationinaparticularlineage 6. adeclineordegeneration 7. amovementorpassageindegreeorstatefromhighertolower 8. (oftenfollbyon) asuddenandoverwhelmingarrivalorattack 9. propertylaw (formerly)thetransmissionofrealpropertytotheheironanintestacy CollinsEnglishDictionary.Copyright©HarperCollinsPublishers WordFrequency descentinAmericanEnglish (diˈsɛnt ;dɪˈsɛnt ) noun1.  adescending;comingdownorgoingdown 2.  lineage;ancestry 3.  onegeneration(inaspecifiedlineage) 4.  adownwardslope 5.  awaydownordownward 6.  asuddenattack,raid,orinvasion(onorupon) 7.  adecline;fall 8.  astooping(toanact) 9. Law transference(ofproperty)toheirsoroffspringbyinheritance Webster’sNewWorldCollegeDictionary,4thEdition.Copyright©2010by HoughtonMifflinHarcourt.Allrightsreserved. WordoriginMEdescent