Words / B2

di-SEND/dɪˈsend/

To descend is to go down, or to come from ancestors: the plane descended; descend from. Descent is the noun. Ascend / ascent are opposites. Fog descended on the runway. Descend on a place can mean arrive in numbers. Do not mix with decent (good enough).

Meaning

To go down; also to come from ancestors (descend from).

Examples

• “Fog descended on the runway and diverted the speaking tests.”
• “She descends from a family of miners, which is the ancestry sense.”

Good to know

descend from / into / on. Noun: descent. Opposite: ascend. Trap: decent. Weather, aviation, genealogy. Phrasal: descend into chaos.

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