DESCEND


Meaning of DESCEND in English

/ dɪˈsend; NAmE / verb

1.

( formal ) to come or go down from a higher to a lower level :

[ v ]

The plane began to descend.

The results, ranked in descending order (= from the highest to the lowest) are as follows:

[ vn ]

She descended the stairs slowly.

OPP ascend

2.

[ v ] ( formal ) ( of a hill, etc. ) to slope downwards :

At this point the path descends steeply.

OPP ascend

3.

[ v ] descend (on / upon sb/sth) ( literary ) ( of night, darkness , a mood, etc. ) to arrive and begin to affect sb/sth

SYN fall :

Night descends quickly in the tropics.

Calm descended on the crowd.

PHRASAL VERBS

- be descended from sb

- descend into sth

- descend on / upon sb/sth

- descend to sth

••

WORD ORIGIN

Middle English : from Old French descendre , from Latin descendere , from de- down + scandere to climb.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.