noun
descent
dih-SEHNT
noun
1
The act of coming down from a higher place, or a downward slope or path.
"The plane began its descent into Manchester."
"The path down the cliff was a steep, rocky descent."
2
A person's family origins or ancestry.
"She is of Italian descent on her mother's side."
"He can trace his descent back to a small village in Poland."
3
A drop into a worse state or condition.
"The film traces his descent into addiction."
How to Use Descent
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishGoing downward — whether that's a plane landing, a path down a hill, where your family comes from, or a slide into a worse situation.
Common pairings
a steep descent
of French descent
a descent into chaos
Word Forms
descents plural
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The plane began its _____ into Manchester.
Etymology
From Old French descente, tied to descendre, "to descend" — built from the same root as "ascent" and "ascend", just heading the other direction.