/di sent"/ , n.
1. the act, process, or fact of descending.
2. a downward inclination or slope.
3. a passage or stairway leading down.
4. derivation from an ancestor; lineage; extraction.
5. any passing from higher to lower in degree or state; decline.
6. a sudden raid or hostile attack.
7. Law. transmission of real property by intestate succession.
[ 1300-50; ME descente, deriv. of descendre to DESCEND, modeled on such pairs as vente, vendre ]
Syn. 1. falling, sinking. 2. decline, grade, declivity. 4. ancestry, parentage. 6. assault, foray.