Chapter Dermoneural to Descrier of D by Webster's Dictionary (1913 Edition)

Descender
(De*scend"er) n. One who descends.

Descendibility
(De*scend`i*bil"i*ty) n. The quality of being descendible; capability of being transmitted from ancestors; as, the descendibility of an estate.

Descendible
(De*scend"i*ble) a.

1. Admitting descent; capable of being descended.

2. That may descend from an ancestor to an heir. "A descendant estate." Sir W. Jones.

Descending
(De*scend"ing), a. Of or pertaining to descent; moving downwards.

Descending constellationsor signs (Astron.), those through which the planets descent toward the south. — Descending node (Astron.), that point in a planet's orbit where it intersects the ecliptic in passing southward. — Descending series (Math.), a series in which each term is numerically smaller than the preceding one; also, a series arranged according to descending powers of a quantity.

Descendingly
(De*scend"ing*ly), adv. In a descending manner.

Descension
(De*scen"sion) n. [OF. descension, L. descensio. See Descent.] The act of going downward; descent; falling or sinking; declension; degradation.

Oblique descension (Astron.), the degree or arc of the equator which descends, with a celestial object, below the horizon of an oblique sphere. — Right descension, the degree or arc of the equator which descends below the horizon of a right sphere at the same time with the object. [Obs.]

Descensional
(De*scen"sion*al) a. Pertaining to descension. Johnson.

Descensive
(De*scen"sive) a. Tending to descend; tending downwards; descending. Smart.

Descensory
(De*scen"so*ry) n. [NL. descensorium: cf. OF. descensoire. See Descend.] A vessel used in alchemy to extract oils.

Descent
(De*scent") n. [F. descente, fr. descendre; like vente, from vendre. See Descend.]

1. The act of descending, or passing downward; change of place from higher to lower.

2. Incursion; sudden attack; especially, hostile invasion from sea; — often followed by upon or on; as, to make a descent upon the enemy.

The United Provinces . . . ordered public prayer to God, when they feared that the French and English fleets would make a descent upon their coasts.

Jortin.

3. Progress downward, as in station, virtue, as in station, virtue, and the like, from a higher to a lower state, from a higher to a lower state, from the more to the less important, from the better to the worse, etc.

2. Derivation, as from an ancestor; procedure by generation; lineage; birth; extraction. Dryden.

5. (Law) Transmission of an estate by inheritance, usually, but not necessarily, in the descending line; title to inherit an estate by reason of consanguinity. Abbott.

6. Inclination downward; a descending way; inclined or sloping surface; declivity; slope; as, a steep descent.