descend

Plural: descends

Verb

Verb Forms: descended, descending, descends

To move or fall downward; to come down from a higher place.
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example
- "She was descended from an old Italian noble family"
do something that one considers to be below one's dignity
come as if by falling
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
To pass from a higher to a lower part of (something, such as a flight of stairs or a slope); to go down along or upon.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
Of a flight of stairs, a road, etc.: to lead down (a hill, a slope, etc.).
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
To move (someone or something) from a higher to a lower place or position; to bring or send (someone or something) down.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
To physically move or pass from a higher to a lower place or position; to come or go down in any way, such as by climbing, falling, flowing, walking, etc.; to move downwards; to fall, to sink.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
To physically move or pass from a higher to a lower place or position; to come or go down in any way, such as by climbing, falling, flowing, walking, etc.; to move downwards; to fall, to sink.
Of a zodiac sign: to move away from the zenith towards the horizon; to sink; also, of a planet: to move to a place where it has less astrological significance.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
To physically move or pass from a higher to a lower place or position; to come or go down in any way, such as by climbing, falling, flowing, walking, etc.; to move downwards; to fall, to sink.
Of a celestial body: to move away from the zenith towards the horizon; to sink; also, to move towards the south.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
To physically move or pass from a higher to a lower place or position; to come or go down in any way, such as by climbing, falling, flowing, walking, etc.; to move downwards; to fall, to sink.
Of a body part: to move downwards, especially during development of the embryo; specifically, of the testes of a mammal: to move downwards from the abdominal cavity into the scrotum.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
To physically move or pass from a higher to a lower place or position; to come or go down in any way, such as by climbing, falling, flowing, walking, etc.; to move downwards; to fall, to sink.
Of a liquid substance: to distil out from another substance and gather at the bottom of a container; also, to distil a substance to obtain another liquid substance in this manner.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
To slope or stretch downwards.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
To alight from a carriage, a horse, etc.; also, to disembark from a vessel; to land.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
To come or go down, or reduce, in intensity or some other quality.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
Of a physical thing (such as a a cloud or storm) or a (generally negative) immaterial thing (such as darkness, gloom, or silence): to settle upon and start to affect a person or place.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
In speech or writing: to proceed from one matter to another; especially, to pass from more general or important to specific or less important matters to be considered.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
Chiefly followed by into or to: of a situation: to become worse; to decline, to deteriorate.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
Chiefly followed by on or upon: to make an attack or incursion, from or as if from a vantage ground; to come suddenly and with violence.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
Chiefly followed by on or upon: to arrive suddenly or unexpectedly, especially in a manner that causes disruption or inconvenience.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
To come down to a humbler or less fortunate, or a worse or less virtuous, rank or state; to abase or lower oneself; to condescend or stoop to something.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
Chiefly in the form descend into (or within) oneself: to mentally enter a state of (deep) meditation or thought; to retire.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
Of a sequence or series: to proceed from higher to lower values.
Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position.
To pass from a higher to a lower note or tone; to fall in pitch.
Senses relating to passing down from a source to another thing.
To trace (a lineage) from earlier to later generations.
Senses relating to passing down from a source to another thing.
Of a characteristic: to be transmitted from a parent to a child.
Senses relating to passing down from a source to another thing.
Chiefly followed by from or (obsolete) of: to come down or derive from an ancestor or ancestral stock, or a source; to originate, to stem.
Senses relating to passing down from a source to another thing.
Of property, a right, etc.: to pass down to a generation, a person, etc., by inheritance.

Noun

Synonym of descent (“instance of descending; sloping incline or passage; way down; decline, etc.”).

Examples

Cryptorchidism is the failure of one or both testes to descend into the scrotum.
He descended from his high estate.
His score began to DESCEND after a series of uninspired plays in Scrabble.
My neighbour descended upon me just as I was walking out the door.
The beggar may descend from a prince.
The crown descends to the heir of the previous monarch.
The meeting descended into chaos.
The noble prince descended to one knee to ask for the princess’s hand in marriage.
they descended the river in boats
They took the steep path that descends the hill down to the beach.
to descend a ladder

Origin / Etymology

PIE word
*de
The verb is derived from Middle English descenden (“to move downwards, fall, descend; to slope downwards; to go from a better to a worse condition, decline, degenerate; to be a descendant, derive from (a source); etc.”), from Anglo-Norman descendere, descendre, and Old French descendere, descendre (“to move downwards, fall, descend; to slope downwards; to be a descendant, derive from (a source); etc.”) (modern French descendre), and from their etymon Latin dēscendere, the present active infinitive of dēscendō (“to come or go down, fall, descend; to slope downwards; to be a descendant; etc.”), from de- (prefix meaning ‘from; down from’) + scandō (“to ascend, climb; to clamber”) (from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to climb, scale; to dart; to jump”)).
The noun is derived from the verb.

Synonyms

come, come down, condescend, deign, derive, fall, go down, settle, degenerate, descent

Antonyms

ascend, rise, climb, go up

Scrabble Score: 11

descend: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
descend: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
descend: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

descend: valid Words With Friends Word