Descendant: meaning, definitions and examples

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descendant

[ dɪˈsɛndənt ]

^{Context #1}

family

A person who is descended from a particular ancestor; an offspring.

Synonyms

heir, offspring, progeny

Examples of usage

He is a descendant of a famous historical figure.
The family tree showed all the descendants of the king.

^{Context #2}

biology

An organism that is descended from a particular ancestor.

Synonyms

offshoot, offspring, successor

Examples of usage

The modern bird is a descendant of dinosaurs.
The plant species has many descendants in the region.

^{Context #3}

genealogy

Descending from an ancestor.

Synonyms

hereditary, inherited, lineal

Examples of usage

She comes from a descendant line of royalty.
The descendant families gathered for a reunion.

Translations

Translations of the word "descendant" in other languages:

🇵🇹 descendente

🇮🇳 वंशज

🇩🇪 Nachkomme

🇮🇩 keturunan

🇺🇦 нащадок

🇵🇱 potomek

🇯🇵 子孫 (shison)

🇫🇷 descendant

🇪🇸 descendiente

🇹🇷 torun

🇰🇷 후손 (huso)

🇸🇦 نسل

🇨🇿 potomek

🇸🇰 potomok

🇨🇳 后裔 (hòuyì)

🇸🇮 potomec

🇮🇸 afkomandi

🇰🇿 ұрпақ

🇬🇪 შთამომავალი (sht'amomavali)

🇦🇿 nəsil

🇲🇽 descendiente

Word origin

The word 'descendant' originated from the Latin word 'descendere', which means 'to come down'. It entered the English language in the late 15th century. The concept of descendants has been significant in genealogy, history, and biology, tracing the lineage of individuals or species through generations.