Descent

Descent
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 sea; -- often followed by upon or on; as, to make a descent upon the enemy. [1913 Webster]

The United Provinces . . . ordered public prayer to God, when they feared that the French and English fleets would make a descent upon their coasts. --Jortin. [1913 Webster]

3. Progress downward, as in station, virtue, as in station, virtue, and the like, from a higher to a lower state, from a higher to a lower state, from the more to the less important, from the better to the worse, etc. [1913 Webster]

2. Derivation, as from an ancestor; procedure by generation; lineage; birth; extraction. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

5. (Law) Transmission of an estate by inheritance, usually, but not necessarily, in the descending line; title to inherit an estate by reason of consanguinity. --Abbott. [1913 Webster]

6. Inclination downward; a descending way; inclined or sloping surface; declivity; slope; as, a steep descent. [1913 Webster]

7. That which is descended; descendants; issue. [1913 Webster]

If care of our descent perplex us most, Which must be born to certain woe. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

8. A step or remove downward in any scale of gradation; a degree in the scale of genealogy; a generation. [1913 Webster]

No man living is a thousand descents removed from Adam himself. --Hooker. [1913 Webster]

9. Lowest place; extreme downward place. [R.] [1913 Webster]

And from the extremest upward of thy head, To the descent and dust below thy foot. --Shak.

10. (Mus.) A passing from a higher to a lower tone.

Syn: Declivity; slope; degradation; extraction; lineage; assault; invasion; attack. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • 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 — [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

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