descendant

[dih-sen-duh nt] /dɪˈsɛn dənt/
noun
1.
a person or animal that is descended from a specific ancestor; an offspring.
2.
something deriving in appearance, function, or general character from an earlier form.
3.
an adherent who follows closely the teachings, methods, practices, etc., of an earlier master, as in art, music, philosophy, etc.; disciple.
4.
Astrology.
  1. the point opposite the ascendant.
  2. the point of the ecliptic or the sign and degree of the zodiac setting below the western horizon at the time of a birth or of an event.
  3. the cusp of the seventh house.
adjective
5.
descending; descendent.
Origin
1425-75; late Middle English descendaunt (adj.) < Old French descendant, present participle of descendre. See descend, -ant
Can be confused
ancestor, descendant.
Examples from the web for descendant
  • Nearly the size of a small pony, he is in fact a descendant of the dire wolves.
British Dictionary definitions for descendant

descendant

/dɪˈsɛndənt/
noun
1.
a person, animal, or plant when described as descended from an individual, race, species, etc
2.
something that derives or is descended from an earlier form
adjective
3.
a variant spelling of descendent

Descendant

/dɪˈsɛndənt/
noun
1.
(astrology) the point on the ecliptic lying directly opposite the Ascendant
Word Origin and History for descendant

mid-15c. (adj.), c.1600 (n.), from French descendant (13c.), present participle of descendre (see descend). Despite a tendency to use descendent for the adjective and descendant for the noun, descendant seems to be prevailing in all uses and appears 5 times more often than its rival in books printed since 1900. Cf. dependant.