DESCENDENT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does descendent mean? 

• DESCENDENT (noun)
  The noun DESCENDENT has 1 sense:

1. a person considered as descended from some ancestor

  Familiarity information: DESCENDENT used as a noun is very rare.

• DESCENDENT (adjective)
  The adjective DESCENDENT has 2 senses:

1. going or coming down

2. proceeding by descent from an ancestor

  Familiarity information: DESCENDENT used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DESCENDENT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A person considered as descended from some ancestor

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

descendant; descendent

Hypernyms ("descendent" is a kind of...):

relation; relative (a person related by blood or marriage)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "descendent"):

child (a member of a clan or tribe)

scion (a descendent or heir)

Derivation:

descend (come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example)

• DESCENDENT (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Going or coming down

Synonyms:

descendant; descendent

Similar:

descending (coming down or downward)

Derivation:

descend (move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Proceeding by descent from an ancestor

Synonyms:

descendant; descendent

Context example:

descendent gene

Similar:

related (connected by kinship, common origin, or marriage)

 Context examples 

A child of your aunt or uncle or their descendents.

(Cousin, NCI Thesaurus)

In addition to the resistance showed by traditional communities, such as indigenous people and descendents of slaves; farm workers— small land owners included—still occupy prohibited territories.

(Brazilian savanna unprotected, study finds, Agência Brasil)