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descent

dih-SENT /dɪˈsɛnt/

nounB2SATACTTOEFL

generalformal

The origin or background of a person in terms of family or nationality; transmission of status or property by inheritance.

Descent can refer to both the physical act of moving downward and the genealogical act of tracing one's ancestry backward to a common source.

The story behind the word. From the Latin descendere, meaning 'to climb down' (de- 'down' + scandere 'to climb'). In genealogy, we picture a family tree where we climb down the branches from the original ancestor to the current generation.

Word relationships

ancestry: Ancestry is the collective group of one's ancestors, while descent is the process or path of originating from them.
lineage: Lineage is a specific, traceable line of ancestors, whereas descent can be a more general statement of origin.

ascent: Ascent is the act of climbing upward, whereas descent is moving downward (or tracing backward).

Commonly confused with

dissent: Dissent means holding opinions at variance with those previously or officially held, whereas descent refers to family origin or downward movement.

Word family

descend (verb): To move downward; to be a direct descendant of.
descendant (noun): A person that is descended from a particular ancestor.

Collocations

of direct descent
of mixed descent
line of descent
trace one's descent

Example sentences

"She is of Japanese descent but was born and raised in Brazil." Discussing someone's diverse cultural background.
"Rules of descent determine how wealth and titles are passed from one generation to the next." An anthropological definition of tracing lineage.

Memory hook

You go 'down' a mountain when you 'descend'. Similarly, you go 'down' the family tree to trace your 'descent'. Climbing down the family tree is descent.

When not to use

Do not confuse with 'dissent' (disagreement).

Fun facts

Charles Darwin's famous book on human evolution is titled 'The Descent of Man', using the word to mean our evolutionary lineage from earlier primates.