Meanings
alternative descendent
- not comparableDescending; going down.
The elevator resumed its descendant trajectory.
2 more examples
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, […]
1830, Thomas Robson (engraver.), The British herald, or Cabinet of armorial bearings of the nobility & gentry of Great Britain & Ireland, page 14Azure, surmounting a cloud argent, an American eagle descendant, wings endorsed proper, between his beak four lightning streaks, […]
1984, Charles A. Ravenstein, Air Force combat wings: lineage and honors histories 1947-1977, DIANE Publishing, →ISBN, page 259 - not comparableDescending from a biological ancestor.
Power in the kingdom is transferred in a descendant manner.
1 more example
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.
1892, Arthur Dillon, Gods and Men, page 214 - not comparableProceeding from a figurative ancestor or source.
plural descendants
- One of the progeny of a specified person, at any distance of time or through any number of generations.
a lineal descendant of Charlemagne
2 more examples
Meronyms: issue, line, progeny; family; clan
The patriarch survived many descendants: five children, a dozen grandchildren, even a great grandchild.
Synonyms: afterbear · Antonyms: ancestor, progenitor, forefather, foremother
- human sciencesA language that is descended from another.
English and Scots are the descendants of Old English.
- human sciencesA 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.
1993, Jens Elmegård Rasmussen, “The Slavic i-verbs with an excursus on the Indo-European ē-verbs”, in Bela Brogyanyi, Reiner Lipp, editors, Comparative-Historical Linguistics, John Benjamins Publishing, →ISBN, page 479Synonyms: reflex, derivative · Antonyms: etymon
- astrologyThe intersection of the western (setting) horizon and the ecliptic, its ecliptical longitude; the astrological sign it corresponds to.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOne of the progeny of a specified person, at any distance of time or through any number of generations.
nounA word or form in one language that is descended from a counterpart in an ancestor language.
antonym(s) of “heraldry”
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivegoing or coming down
adjectiveproceeding by descent from an ancestor
nouna person considered as descended from some ancestor
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindēscendēns
- Middle Englishdessendaunte
- Englishdescendant
From Middle English dessendaunte, borrowed from Middle French, from Latin dēscendēns, present participle of descendere, from dē + scandere (“to climb, ascend”).
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans afstammeling
- afstammelingone who is the progeny of someone
Ancient Greek ἐπίγονος, ἀπόγονος
- ἐπίγονος (epígonos)one who is the progeny of someone
- ἀπόγονος (apógonos)one who is the progeny of someone
Arabic سَلِيل
- سَلِيل (salīl)one who is the progeny of someone
Bengali আওলাদ, ফরজন্দ
- আওলাদ (aōlad)one who is the progeny of someone
- ফরজন্দ (phorjondo)one who is the progeny of someone
Bulgarian пото́мък
- пото́мък (potómăk)one who is the progeny of someone
Catalan descendent, descendent
- descendentdescending from (an ancestor)
- descendentone who is the progeny of someone
Chinese Cantonese 後裔 /后裔, 子孫 /子孙
- 後裔 /后裔 (hau⁶ jeoi⁶)one who is the progeny of someone
- 子孫 /子孙 (zi² syun¹)one who is the progeny of someone
- 後嗣 /后嗣 (hau⁶ zi⁶)one who is the progeny of someone
- 兒孫 /儿孙 (ji⁴ syun¹)one who is the progeny of someone
- 後代 /后代 (hau⁶ doi⁶)one who is the progeny of someone
Chinese Mandarin 後裔 /后裔, 子孫 /子孙
- 後裔 /后裔 (hòuyì)one who is the progeny of someone
- 子孫 /子孙 (zǐsūn)one who is the progeny of someone
- 後嗣 /后嗣 (hòusì)one who is the progeny of someone
- 兒孫 /儿孙 (érsūn)one who is the progeny of someone
- 後代 /后代 (hòudài)one who is the progeny of someone
- 後裔 /后裔 (hòuyì)later evolutionary type
Czech potomek, potomkyně
- potomekone who is the progeny of someone
- potomkyněone who is the progeny of someone
Danish efterkommer, afkom
- efterkommerone who is the progeny of someone
- afkomone who is the progeny of someone
- efterkommerlater evolutionary type
Dutch afstammeling, nakomeling
- afstammelingone who is the progeny of someone
- nakomelingone who is the progeny of someone
- nazaatone who is the progeny of someone
- telgone who is the progeny of someone
- afstammelingwhich derives directly from a given precursor or source
- nakomelingwhich derives directly from a given precursor or source
- afstammelinglater evolutionary type
Esperanto posteulo, ido
- posteuloone who is the progeny of someone
- idoone who is the progeny of someone
Estonian järglane
- järglaneone who is the progeny of someone
Finnish jälkeläinen, seuraaja
- jälkeläinenone who is the progeny of someone
- seuraajawhich derives directly from a given precursor or source
- jälkeläinenlater evolutionary type
French descendant, descendante
- descendantone who is the progeny of someone
- descendanteone who is the progeny of someone
- descendantlater evolutionary type
German Nachkomme, Nachkommin
- Nachkommeone who is the progeny of someone
- Nachkomminone who is the progeny of someone
- Deszendentone who is the progeny of someone
- Deszendentinone who is the progeny of someone
- Sprossone who is the progeny of someone
- Sproßone who is the progeny of someone
- Sprösslingone who is the progeny of someone
- Abkommeone who is the progeny of someone
- Abkomminone who is the progeny of someone
- Abkömmlingone who is the progeny of someone
- Nachfahrone who is the progeny of someone
- Nachfahreone who is the progeny of someone
Greek απόγονος
- απόγονος (apógonos)one who is the progeny of someone
Hebrew צֶאֱצָא
- צֶאֱצָא (tse'etsa)one who is the progeny of someone
Hindi वंशज, वंशज
- वंशज (vañśaj)descending from (an ancestor)
- वंशज (vañśaj)one who is the progeny of someone
Hungarian leszármazott
- leszármazottone who is the progeny of someone
Icelandic afkomandi, niðji
- afkomandione who is the progeny of someone
- niðjione who is the progeny of someone
- afkomandilater evolutionary type
Indonesian keturunan
- keturunanone who is the progeny of someone
Irish sliochtach
- sliochtachone who is the progeny of someone
Italian discendente
- discendenteone who is the progeny of someone
Japanese 子孫, 子種
- 子孫 (shison)one who is the progeny of someone
- 子種 (kodane)one who is the progeny of someone
- 後裔 (kōei)one who is the progeny of someone
Korean 자손, 후예
- 자손 (jason)one who is the progeny of someone
- 후예 (huye)one who is the progeny of someone
Latin prōgnātus, successiō
- prōgnātusone who is the progeny of someone
- successiōone who is the progeny of someone
Malay keturunan
- keturunanone who is the progeny of someone
Māori mokopuna, whakahekenga
- mokopunaone who is the progeny of someone
- whakahekengaone who is the progeny of someone
- mangaingaone who is the progeny of someone
- tākerekereone who is the progeny of someone
- whakahekengawhich derives directly from a given precursor or source
Norwegian Bokmål etterkommer
- etterkommerone who is the progeny of someone
Persian فروشونده
- فروشونده (forušavande)one who is the progeny of someone
Polish potomek, potomkini
- potomekone who is the progeny of someone
- potomkinione who is the progeny of someone
- zstępnyone who is the progeny of someone
- descendentone who is the progeny of someone
Portuguese descendente, descendente
- descendenteone who is the progeny of someone
- descendentewhich derives directly from a given precursor or source
- descendentelater evolutionary type
Romanian descendent, descendentă
- descendentone who is the progeny of someone
- descendentăone who is the progeny of someone
- urmașone who is the progeny of someone
- urmașăone who is the progeny of someone
Russian пото́мок, пото́мок
- пото́мок (potómok)one who is the progeny of someone
- пото́мок (potómok)later evolutionary type
Slovak potomok, potomkyňa
- potomokone who is the progeny of someone
- potomkyňaone who is the progeny of someone
Spanish postremo, descendiente
- postremodescending from (an ancestor)
- descendientedescending from (an ancestor)
- descendienteone who is the progeny of someone
Swahili mzao
- mzaoone who is the progeny of someone
Swedish ättling, avkomma
- ättlingone who is the progeny of someone
- avkommaone who is the progeny of someone
- avkomlingone who is the progeny of someone
Tagalog inanak
- inanakone who is the progeny of someone
Thai ผู้สืบสันดาน
- ผู้สืบสันดาน (pûu-sʉ̀ʉp-sǎn-daan)one who is the progeny of someone
Turkish döl, zürriyet
- dölone who is the progeny of someone
- zürriyetone who is the progeny of someone
- ferilater evolutionary type
Ukrainian наща́док, пото́мок
- наща́док (naščádok)one who is the progeny of someone
- пото́мок (potómok)one who is the progeny of someone
- наща́док (naščádok)later evolutionary type
Vietnamese hậu bối
- hậu bốione who is the progeny of someone
Welsh disgynnydd, disgynnyddion
- disgynnyddone who is the progeny of someone
- disgynnyddionone who is the progeny of someone
Yiddish אָפּשטאַמלינג
- אָפּשטאַמלינג (opshtamling)one who is the progeny of someone
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with descendant
All rhymes →Cite this entry
descendant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/descendant
“descendant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/descendant. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “descendant,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/descendant.
Source: descendant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.