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descendant

 - 4 dictionary results

de⋅scend⋅ant

[di-sen-duhnt]
–noun
1. a person or animal that is descended from a specific ancestor; an offspring.
2. something deriving in appearance, function, or general character from an earlier form.
3. an adherent who follows closely the teachings, methods, practices, etc., of an earlier master, as in art, music, philosophy, etc.; disciple.
4. Astrology.
a. the point opposite the ascendant.
b. the point of the ecliptic or the sign and degree of the zodiac setting below the western horizon at the time of a birth or of an event.
c. the cusp of the seventh house.
–adjective
5. descending; descendent.

Origin:
1425–75; late ME descendaunt (adj.) < OF descendant, prp. of descendre. See descend, -ant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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de·scen·dant   (dĭ-sěn'dənt)   
n.  
  1. A person, animal, or plant whose descent can be traced to a particular individual or group.

  2. Something derived from a prototype or earlier form: Today's bicycles are descendants of the earlier velocipede.

  3. In astrology, the point of the ecliptic or the sign of the zodiac that sets in the west at the time of a person's birth or other event.

adj.  Variant of descendent.
de·scen·dent also de·scen·dant   (dĭ-sěn'dənt)   
adj.  
  1. Moving downward; descending.

  2. Proceeding by descent from an ancestor.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: de·scen·dant
Variant: also de·scen·dent /di-'sen-d&nt/
Function: noun
: a blood relative of a later generation
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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