/ dɪˈsent; NAmE / noun
1.
[ C , usually sing. ] an action of coming or going down :
The plane began its descent to Heathrow.
( figurative )
the country's swift descent into anarchy
OPP ascent
2.
[ C ] a slope going downwards :
There is a gradual descent to the sea.
OPP ascent
3.
[ U ] ~ (from sb) a person's family origins
SYN ancestry :
to be of Scottish descent
He traces his line of descent from the Stuart kings.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French descente , from descendre to descend, from Latin descendere , from de- down + scandere to climb.