Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - descend

 verb  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French ~re, from Latin ~ere, from de- + scandere to climb — more at scan  Date: 13th century  intransitive verb  1. to pass from a higher place or level to a lower one ~ed from the platform  2. to pass in discussion from what is logically prior or more comprehensive  3.  a. to originate or come from an ancestral stock or source ; derive ~s from an old merchant family  b. to pass by inheritance a desk that has ~ed in the family  c. to pass by transmission songs ~ed from old ballads  4. to incline, lead, or extend downward the road ~s to the river  5.  a. to swoop or pounce down (as in a sudden attack)  b. to appear suddenly and often disconcertingly as if from above reporters ~ed on the candidate  6. to proceed in a sequence or gradation from higher to lower or from more remote to nearer or more recent  7.  a. to lower oneself in status or dignity ; stoop  b. to worsen and sink in condition or estimation  transitive verb  1. to pass, move, or climb down or down along  2. to extend down along  • ~ible adjective