descendant
dih-SEN-dent
/dɪˈsen.dənt/
A person, plant, or animal that is descended from a particular ancestor.
The standard term for someone who comes after; it is neutral and can apply to any generation.
The story behind the word. From 'de-' (down) and 'scandere' (to climb). It pictures the family tree as something you climb down from the top (the ancestors) to the bottom (the current generation).
Word relationships
- offspring: Offspring usually refers to immediate children; descendant can refer to any generation down the line.
- ancestor: An ancestor is who you came from; a descendant is who comes from you.
Commonly confused with
- scion: Scion is much more formal and usually implies a wealthy or noble family.
Word family
- descend (verb): To move downward; to be blood-related to an ancestor.
- descent (noun): The origin or background of a person in terms of family or nationality.
Collocations
- direct descendant
- living descendant
- linear descendant
Example sentences
- "Many people in this town are descendants of the original Dutch settlers." Family history
- "Modern birds are considered the living descendants of small theropod dinosaurs." Biology
Memory hook
Descendants 'de-scend' (go down) the family tree. Climbing down the tree.
When not to use
Do not confuse the noun 'descendant' with the adjective 'descendent' (though they are often used interchangeably in US English).
Fun facts
- In legal terms, a 'descendant' is often called an 'issue'.
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.