Definition of descent

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de·scent    (d-snt) KEY 

NOUN:

1. The act or an instance of descending.
2. A way down.
3. A downward incline or passage; a slope.
4. 1. Hereditary derivation; lineage: a person of African descent.
   2. One generation of a specific lineage.
5. 1. The fact or process of coming down or being derived from a source: a paper tracing the descent of the novel from old picaresque tales.
   2. Development in form or structure during transmission from an original source.
6. Law Transference of property by inheritance.
7. A lowering or decline, as in status or level: Her career went into a rapid descent after the charges of misconduct.
8. A sudden visit or attack; an onslaught.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, from Old French, descent, from feminine past participle of descendre, to descend ; see descend