descend

verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French descendre, from Latin descendere, from de- + scandere to climb — more at scan Date: 13th century intransitive verb 1. to pass from a higher place or level to a lower one <

descended from the platform

> 2. to pass in discussion from what is logically prior or more comprehensive 3. a. to originate or come from an ancestral stock or source ; derive <

descends from an old merchant family

> b. to pass by inheritance <

a desk that has descended in the family

> c. to pass by transmission <

songs descended from old ballads

> 4. to incline, lead, or extend downward <

the road descends to the river

> 5. a. to swoop or pounce down (as in a sudden attack) b. to appear suddenly and often disconcertingly as if from above <

reporters descended on the candidate

> 6. to proceed in a sequence or gradation from higher to lower or from more remote to nearer or more recent 7. a. to lower oneself in status or dignity ; stoop b. to worsen and sink in condition or estimation transitive verb 1. to pass, move, or climb down or down along 2. to extend down along • descendible adjective