Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “descent” come from?

Descent comes from Anglo-Norman descente, from Anglo-Norman descendre, from Latin descendo meaning to go down, formed from Latin de meaning from or down.

descent (English): An instance of descending; act of coming down; A...

Definitions

  1. An instance of descending; act of coming down; A...

Ancestry of “descent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Anglo-Normandescente—
2Anglo-Normandescendreto descend; to go down; to descend; to dismount
3LatindescendoI climb down, to come down, to descend; I march...
4Latinde-de-
5LatindeThe name of the letter "D"; of, concerning,...
6Proto-Indo-EuropeandeEmphatic or contrastive particle, and, but;...

Words derived from “descent”

  • hypodescent
  • maldescent
  • hyperdescent
Every word from Proto-Indo-European de →