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descending

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia 0.02 sec.
de·scend  (d-snd)
v. de·scend·ed, de·scend·ing, de·scends
v.intr.
1. To move from a higher to a lower place; come or go down.
2. To slope, extend, or incline downward: "A rough path descended like a steep stair into the plain" (J.R.R. Tolkien).
3.
a. To come from an ancestor or ancestry: He was descended from a pioneer family.
b. To come down from a source; derive: a tradition descending from colonial days.
c. To pass by inheritance: The house has descended through four generations.
4. To lower oneself; stoop: "She, the conqueror, had descended to the level of the conquered" (James Bryce).
5. To proceed or progress downward, as in rank, pitch, or scale: titles listed in descending order of importance; notes that descended to the lower register.
6. To arrive or attack in a sudden or an overwhelming manner: summer tourists descending on the seashore village.
v.tr.
1.
a. To move from a higher to a lower part of; go down.
b. To get down from: "People descended the minibus that shuttled guests to the nearby . . . beach" (Howard Kaplan).
2. To extend or proceed downward along: a road that descended the mountain in sharp curves.

[Middle English descenden, from Old French descendre, from Latin dscendere : d-, de- + scandere, to climb; see skand- in Indo-European roots.]

de·scendi·ble, de·scenda·ble adj.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adj.1.descending - coming down or downward
down - being or moving lower in position or less in some value; "lay face down"; "the moon is down"; "our team is down by a run"; "down by a pawn"; "the stock market is down today"
ascending - moving or going or growing upward; "the ascending plane"; "the ascending staircase"; "the ascending stems of chickweed"
Translations
descending [dɪˈsendɪŋ] ADJdescendente
in descending order of importancepor orden decreciente or descendente de importancia
descending [dɪˈsɛndɪŋ] adj
in descending order → par ordre décroissant
In descending order, the results are → Voici les résultats dans l'ordre décroissant ...
in descending order of importance → par ordre d'importance décroissante
in descending order of cost → par ordre de prix décroissants


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A RAT that was about to emerge from his hole caught a glimpse of a Cat waiting for him, and descending to the colony at the bottom of the hole invited a Friend to join him in a visit to a neighbouring corn-bin.
Rain is descending in pailfuls, and it is such a soaking kind of rain that--that you might catch cold from it, my darling, and the chill might go to your heart.
I quickly followed suit, and descending into the bar-room accosted the grinning landlord very pleasantly.
 
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