[de.scent] n [ME, fr. MF descente, fr. OF descendre] (14c) 1 a: derivation from an ancestor: birth, lineage "of French ~" b: transmission or devolution of an estate by inheritance usu. in the descending line c: the fact or process of originating from an ancestral stock d: the shaping or development in nature and character by transmission from a source: derivation
2: the act or process of descending
3: a step downward in a scale of gradation; specif: one generation in an ancestral line or genealogical scale
4. a: an inclination downward: slope b: a descending way (as a downgrade or stairway) c obs: the lowest part
5. a: attack, invasion b: a sudden disconcerting appearance (as for a visit)
6: a downward step (as in station or value): decline "~ of the family to actual poverty"