descendant

adjective

1. 1

   Descending; going down.

   The elevator resumed its descendant trajectory.

   Eagle descendant, or descending. See DESCENDANT, and Pl. 22, fig. 6. Eagle descendant, displayed. See Pl. 22, fig. 7. Eagle displayed, recursant. See DISPLAYED RECURSANT, and Pl. 22, […]

   Azure, surmounting a cloud argent, an American eagle descendant, wings endorsed proper, between his beak four lightning streaks, […]

2. 2

   Descending from a biological ancestor.

   Power in the kingdom is transferred in a descendant manner.

   Pitiable sportster, / To choose thy prey so humbly, to seduce / A beggar wench who hath not the high pride / Descendant still from kingly ancestors, / To keep her royal place.

3. 3

   Proceeding from a figurative ancestor or source.

noun

1. 1

   One of the progeny of a specified person, at any distance of time or through any number of generations.

   Meronyms: issue, line, progeny; family; clan

   The patriarch survived many descendants: five children, a dozen grandchildren, even a great grandchild.

2. 2

   figurativeA thing that derives directly from a given precursor or source.

   This famous medieval manuscript has many descendants.

3. 3

   A later evolutionary type.

   Dogs evolved as descendants of early wolves.

4. 4

   A language that is descended from another.

   English and Scots are the descendants of Old English.

5. 5

   A word or form in one language that is descended from a counterpart in an ancestor language.

   The direct descendant of this form is the Slavic aorist: Sb.-Cr. nȍsī, dȍnosī.

6. 6

   The intersection of the western (setting) horizon and the ecliptic, its ecliptical longitude; the astrological sign it corresponds to.

Forms

plural

descendants