#1 descent n. a movement downward. wn #2 descent n. [origin, extraction] properties attributable to your ancestry; "he comes from good origins". wn #3 descent n. the act of changing your location in a downward direction. wn #4 descent n. [line of descent, lineage, filiation] the kinship relation between an individual and the individual's progenitors. wn #5 descent n. [declivity, fall, decline, declination, declension, downslope] a downward slope or bend. wn