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Webster 1913 Edition


Descend

De-scend′

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Descended
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Descending
.]
[F.
descendre
, L.
descendere
,
descensum
;
de-
+
scandere
to climb. See
Scan
.]
1.
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; – the opposite of ascend.
The rain
descended
, and the floods came.
Matt. vii. 25.
We will here
descend
to matters of later date.
Fuller.
2.
To enter mentally; to retire.
[Poetic]
[He] with holiest meditations fed,
Into himself
descended
.
Milton.
3.
To make an attack, or incursion, as if from a vantage ground; to come suddenly and with violence; – with
on
or
upon
.
And on the suitors let thy wrath
descend
.
Pope.
4.
To come down to a lower, less fortunate, humbler, less virtuous, or worse, state or station; to lower or abase one’s self;
as, he
descended
from his high estate
.
5.
To pass from the more general or important to the particular or less important matters to be considered.
6.
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;
as, the beggar may
descend
from a prince; a crown
descends
to the heir.
7.
(Anat.)
To move toward the south, or to the southward.
8.
(Mus.)
To fall in pitch; to pass from a higher to a lower tone.

De-scend′

,
Verb.
T.
To go down upon or along; to pass from a higher to a lower part of;
as, they
descended
the river in boats; to
descend
a ladder.
But never tears his cheek
descended
.
Byron.

Webster 1828 Edition


Descend

DESCEND

,
Verb.
I.
[L. To climb.]
1.
To move or pass from a higher to a lower place; to move, come or go downwards; to fall; to sink; to run or flow down; applicable to any kind of motion or of body. We descend on the feet, on wheels, or by falling. A torrent descends from a mountain.
The rains descended, and the floods came. Matt. 7.
2.
To go down, or to enter.
He shall descend into battle and perish. Sam. 26.
3.
To come suddenly; to fall violently.
And on the suitors let thy wrath descend.
4.
To go in; to enter.
He, with honest meditations fed, into himself descended.
5.
To rush; to invade, as an enemy.
The Grecian fleet descending on the town.
6.
To proceed from a source or original; to be derived. The beggar may descend from a prince, and the prince, from a beggar.
7.
To proceed, as from father to son; to pass from a preceding possessor, in the order of lineage, or according to the laws of succession or inheritance. Thus, an inheritance descends to the son or next of kin; a crown descends to the heir.
8.
To pass from general to particular considerations; as, having explained the general subject, we will descend to particulars.
9.
To come down from an elevated or honorable station; in a figurative sense. Flavius is an honorable man; he cannot descend to acts of meanness.
10.
In music, to fall in sound; to pass from any note to another less acute or shrill, or from sharp to flat.

DESCEND

,
Verb.
T.
To walk, move or pass downwards on a declivity; as, to descend a hill; to descend an inclined plain. [But this may be considered as elliptical; on or along being understood.]

Definition 2024


descend

descend

English

Verb

descend (third-person singular simple present descends, present participle descending, simple past and past participle descended)

  1. (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
    The rain descended, and the floods came. Matthew vii. 25.
    We will here descend to matters of later date. Fuller.
  2. (intransitive, poetic) To enter mentally; to retire.
    [He] with holiest meditations fed, Into himself descended. John Milton.
  3. (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. Alexander Pope.
  4. (intransitive) To come down to a lower, less fortunate, humbler, less virtuous, or worse, state or station; to lower or abase one's self
    he descended from his high estate
  5. (intransitive) To pass from the more general or important to the particular or less important matters to be considered.
  6. (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
  7. (intransitive, anatomy) To move toward the south, or to the southward.
  8. (intransitive, music) To fall in pitch; to pass from a higher to a lower tone.
  9. (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. Byron.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations


French

Verb

descend

  1. third-person singular present indicative of descendre