descend
English
Etymology
From Middle English decenden, borrowed from Old French descendre, from Latin descendere, past participle descensus (“to come down, go down, fall, sink”), from de- (“down”) + scandere (“to climb”). See scan, scandent. Compare ascend, condescend, transcend.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dɪˈsɛnd/
Audio (US) (file) - Hyphenation (US): de‧scend; (UK): des‧cend
- Rhymes: -ɛnd
Verb
descend (third-person singular simple present descends, present participle descending, simple past and past participle descended)
- (intransitive) To pass from a higher to a lower place; to move downwards; to come or go down in any way, as by falling, flowing, walking, etc.; to plunge; to fall; to incline downward
- 1611, King James Version, Matthew vii. 25.
- The rain descended, and the floods came.
- We will here descend to matters of later date. (Can we date this quote by Fuller as well as title, page, and other details?)
- (intransitive, poetic) To enter mentally; to retire.
- 1671, John Milton, “Book the Second”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: Printed by J. M[acock] for John Starkey […], OCLC 228732398:
- [He] with holiest meditations fed, Into himself descended.
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- (intransitive, with on or upon) To make an attack, or incursion, as if from a vantage ground; to come suddenly and with violence.
- And on the suitors let thy wrath descend. (Can we date this quote by Alexander Pope as well as title, page, and other details?)
- (intransitive) To come down to a lower, less fortunate, humbler, less virtuous, or worse, state or station; to lower or abase oneself
- he descended from his high estate
- (intransitive) To pass from the more general or important to the particular or less important matters to be considered.
- (intransitive) To come down, as from a source, original, or stock; to be derived; to proceed by generation or by transmission; to fall or pass by inheritance.
- The beggar may descend from a prince.
- A crown descends to the heir.
- (intransitive, astronomy) To move toward the south, or to the southward.
- (intransitive, music) To fall in pitch; to pass from a higher to a lower tone.
- (transitive) To go down upon or along; to pass from a higher to a lower part of
- they descended the river in boats; to descend a ladder
- But never tears his cheek descended. (Can we date this quote by Byron as well as title, page, and other details?)
Synonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
to pass from a higher to a lower place
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to make an attack, or incursion, as if from a vantage ground
to pass from the more general or important to the particular
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to come down as from source or original
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music: to fall in pitch
French
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