descent

descent
noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French descente, from Anglo-French descendre Date: 14th century 1. a. derivation from an ancestor ; birth, lineage <
of French descent
> b. transmission or devolution of an estate by inheritance usually in the descending line c. the fact or process of originating from an ancestral stock d. the shaping or development in nature and character by transmission from a source ; derivation 2. the act or process of descending 3. a step downward in a scale of gradation; specifically one generation in an ancestral line or genealogical scale 4. a. an inclination downward ; slope b. a descending way (as a downgrade or stairway) c. obsolete the lowest part 5. a. attack, invasion b. a sudden disconcerting appearance (as for a visit) 6. a downward step (as in station or value) ; decline <
descent of the family to actual poverty
>

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу
Synonyms:
, / , , / , / , , , / , , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Descent 3 — Developer(s) Outrage Entertainment Publisher(s) Interplay Productions …   Wikipedia

  • Descent 4 — (working title) Publisher(s) Interplay Entertainment Series Descent Platform(s) Microsoft Windows …   Wikipedia

  • descent — de·scent n: transmission or devolution of the estate of a person who has died without a valid will compare distribution Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. descent …   Law dictionary

  • Descent — steht für: den Originaltitel des Films Feuerhölle Descent (2007), einen US amerikanische Thriller von Talia Lugacy Descent (Computerspiel), ein Computerspiel Descent: Die Reise ins Dunkel, ein Brettspiel Siehe auch: The Descent – Abgrund des… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Descent — De*scent , n. [F. descente, fr. descendre; like vente, from vendre. See {Descend}.] 1. The act of descending, or passing downward; change of place from higher to lower. [1913 Webster] 2. Incursion; sudden attack; especially, hostile invasion from …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • descent — [n1] moving down; lowering cave in, coast, coming down, crash, declension, declination, decline, declivity, dip, downgrade, droop, drop, drop off, fall, falling, grade, gradient, header, hill, inclination, incline, landslide, plummeting, plunge,… …   New thesaurus

  • descent — descent, descent theory See kinship …   Dictionary of sociology

  • descent — c.1300, from O.Fr. descente descent, descendance, lineage, formed from descendre (see DESCEND (Cf. descend)) on analogy of French nouns like attente from attendre to expect, vente sale from vendre to sell, pente slope from pendre …   Etymology dictionary

  • descent — ► NOUN 1) an act or the action of descending. 2) a downward slope. 3) a person s origin or nationality. 4) (descent on) a sudden violent attack on …   English terms dictionary

  • descent — [dē sent′, disent′] n. [ME descent < OFr descente < descendre: see DESCEND] 1. a descending; coming down or going down 2. lineage; ancestry 3. one generation (in a specified lineage) 4. a downward slope 5. a way down or downward …   English World dictionary

  • Descent II — This article is about the video game. For the British 2009 horror movie, see The Descent 2. For the episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, see Descent (Star Trek: The Next Generation)#Part II. Descent II Developer(s) …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”