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Added 9 October 2026

descend

/dɪˈsɛnd/ verb

In Latin: descendō Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about descend at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way.
The temperature is going down
Come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example.
She was descended from an old Italian noble family
Do something that one considers to be below one's dignity.

Origin

The verb is derived from Middle English descenden (“to move downwards, fall, descend; to slope downwards; to go from a better to a worse condition, decline, degenerate; to be a descendant, derive from (a source); etc.”), from Anglo-Norman descendere, descendre, and Old French descendere, descendre (“to move downwards, fall, descend; to slope downwards; to be a descendant, derive from (a source); etc.”) (modern French descendre), and from their etymon Latin dēscendere, the present active infinitive of dēscendō (“to come or go down, fall, descend; to slope downwards; to be a descendant; etc.”), from de- (prefix meaning ‘from; down from’) + scandō (“to ascend, climb; to clamber”) (from Proto-In.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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