v., -scend·ed, -scend·ing, -scends.

v.intr.

1. To move from a higher to a lower place; come or go down.
2. To slope, extend, or incline downward: “A rough path descended like a steep stair into the plain” (J.R.R. Tolkien).
3. 1. To come from an ancestor or ancestry: He was descended from a pioneer family.
   2. To come down from a source; derive: a tradition descending from colonial days.
   3. To pass by inheritance: The house has descended through four generations.
4. To lower oneself; stoop: “She, the conqueror, had descended to the level of the conquered” (James Bryce).
5. To proceed or progress downward, as in rank, pitch, or scale: titles listed in descending order of importance; notes that descended to the lower register.
6. To arrive or attack in a sudden or an overwhelming manner: summer tourists descending on the seashore village.

v.tr.

1. 1. To move from a higher to a lower part of; go down.
   2. To get down from: “People descended the minibus that shuttled guests to the nearby . . . beach” (Howard Kaplan).
2. To extend or proceed downward along: a road that descended the mountain in sharp curves.

[Middle English descenden, from Old French descendre, from Latin dēscendere : dē-, de- + scandere, to climb.]

descendible de·scend'i·ble or de·scend'a·ble adj.

verb

1. To move downward in response to gravity: drop, fall. See rise/fall.
2. To slope downward: decline, dip, drop, fall, pitch, sink. See rise/fall.
3. To have hereditary derivation: derive, issue, spring. Idioms: trace one's descent. See kin.
4. To bring oneself down to a lower level of behavior: lower, sink, stoop. See rise/fall.
5. To become lower in quality, character, or condition: atrophy, decline, degenerate, deteriorate, retrograde, sink, worsen. Idioms: go bad, go to pot, go to seed, go to the dogs. See better/worse.

v

Definition: move down, lower
Antonyms: ascend, go up, increase, rise

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IN BRIEF: To move down to a lower place.

He held the ladder tight as his friend descended it one rung at a time.

Tutor's tip: A "decent" (respectable, honest) person with a "descent" (lineage or ancestry) from a good family will "dissent" (disagree) from mob rule, for fear the situation will "descend" (to move to a lower place) into chaos.

Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - stige ned, falde, stige af, skråne ned, kaste sig, hjemsøge, gå i arv, gå ned ad bakke, nedværdige sig, gå videre, være nedadgående
v. tr. - gå ned ad, gå langs med, følge

idioms:

• descend on    slå ned på
• descend upon    slå ned på

Nederlands (Dutch)
(af)dalen, vallen (duisternis), zich verlagen, afstammen, naar beneden gaan langs, afzakken (van een rivier)

Français (French)
v. intr. - descendre de, tomber, être issu de, tirer son origine de, passer (par héritage), s'abattre sur, se jeter sur, (Mil) faire une descente sur, (fig) arriver à l'improviste, s'abaisser à
v. tr. - descendre

idioms:

• descend on    fondre (sur l'ennemi), tomber sur (la pluie), s'abattre sur (la fatigue)
• descend upon    (fig) arriver à l'improviste, envahir, tomber dans (l'oubli)

Deutsch (German)
v. - hinabsteigen, abfahren, heruntergehen, sinken, überfallen, vererbt werden

idioms:

• descend on    herfallen Über
• descend upon    sich stürzen auf

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - κατεβαίνω, κατηφορίζω, κατάγομαι, έλκω την καταγωγή, μεταβιβάζομαι, περιέρχομαι, (για βροχή) πέφτω, ξεπέφτω, κατέρχομαι μουσική κλίμακα, (αστρον.) κινούμαι προς το νότο, (νομ.) μεταβιβάζομαι με κληρονομιά

idioms:

• descend on    κάνω έφοδο, επιτίθεμαι ξαφνικά, κάνω ενοχλητική απρόοπτη επίσκεψη
• descend upon    επιπίπτω κατά, επιτίθεμαι ξαφνικά

Italiano (Italian)
discendere, scendere

Português (Portuguese)
v. - descer, descender

idioms:

• descend on    invadir
• descend upon    cair sobre

Русский (Russian)
опускаться

idioms:

• descend on    нагрянуть
• descend upon    нагрянуть

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - descender, bajar, ponerse, ir de generalidades a particulares, heredar, ser derivado de, rebajarse
v. tr. - descender, bajar, ponerse

idioms:

• descend on    caer sobre
• descend upon    atacar repentinamente

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - stiga ned, slutta

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
下降, 屈尊, 传下

idioms:

• descend on    袭击
• descend upon    突然袭击, 向...涌来

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 下降, 屈尊, 傳下
v. tr. - 下降

idioms:

• descend on    襲擊
• descend upon    突然襲擊, 向...湧來

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 내려가다, (아래로) 경사지다, (사람이) 계보를 잇다
v. tr. - 내려가다

idioms:

• descend on    ~를 습격하다, 다가가다
• descend upon    ~를 습격하다, 다가가다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 下る, 降りる, 伝わる, 身を落とす, 不意に襲う, 突然訪問する, 子孫である

idioms:

• descend on    飛びつく, 襲いかかる
• descend upon    飛びつく, 襲いかかる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) ينزل, يهبط, ينحدر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮ירד, עבר בירושה, הידרדר ל-, שקע, נפל, תקף או ביקר באופן פתאומי‬
v. tr. - ‮ירד, עבר בירושה‬

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