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Intermediate Dictionary
       

de·scent

descent

 
 
pronunciation:
dih sent
features:
Homophone Note, Word Parts
part of speech: noun
definition 1: the act or process of going downward.
On skis, our descent to the bottom of the hill only took a few seconds.
antonyms:
ascent, rise
similar words:
fall
definition 2: a path or passage that slopes downward.
They made their way down a steep descent.
 
antonyms:
ascent
definition 3: the origin of a person or thing, or the process of developing out of an original source.
My mother was born in Vietnam, but she is of Chinese descent.Many researchers believe in the descent of birds from reptiles.
Homophone Note
The words descent and dissent sound alike but have different meanings.
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