Meaning & use
descendent
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparableformalrare
Moving or coming down; descending from a higher to a lower position.
Grammar: Used mainly before a noun in formal or technical writing; it is not used after a linking verb.
Patterns
- descendent from something
The descendent branch of the river flows toward the southern valley.
A descendent air current brought cooler temperatures to the lower slopes.
nouncountablerare
A variant spelling of descendant, meaning a person or thing that comes from an earlier ancestor or source.
Grammar: This spelling is nonstandard; the usual noun is descendant.
Patterns
- descendent of someone
Some writers still use descendent as a noun, but descendant is far more common.
The family claimed to be a descendent of an old royal house.
Word forms
| plural | descendents |
|---|
Common combinations
- descendent from
- The descendent from the upper ridge joins the main stream here.
- descendent line
- The chart shows the descendent line of the family.
- a direct descendent
- He is a direct descendent of the town's first mayor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- descending
- Descending is the normal adjective for something that goes down; descendent is rare and often considered a mistake.
- descendant
- As a noun, descendant is the standard spelling for a person or thing coming from an ancestor.
Opposites
Word family
- descend verb
- To go down from a higher place.
- descent noun
- A movement downward, or family origin.
- descendant noun
- A person or thing that comes from an earlier ancestor or source.
Commonly confused: descendent or descendant? descendent or descending?
descendent vs descendant
Descendant is the usual spelling for a person or thing coming from an ancestor; descendent is a rare adjective or a nonstandard noun.
descendent vs descending
Descending is the common adjective meaning 'going down'; descendent is rarely used and may look like an error.
Practice
Choose the best word: 'She is a direct ___ of the town's founder.'
Choose one answer.
Descendant is the standard noun for a person who comes from an ancestor. Descendent is a rare adjective and looks like a misspelling here; descending is an adjective; descent is a noun meaning 'a movement down' or 'family origin', not a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “descendent”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.