You searched for: “descents
descent (s) (noun), descents (pl)
1. A downgrade or slope, particularly of a path or trail: The sign, showing the descent into the village from the top of the mountain, was next to the route the hikers were walking on.
2. A condition of falling, dropping, or moving in a downward manner: All the passengers in the airplane had their seat belts on in preparation for the descent to the landing strip at the airport.
3. A person’s ancestry in terms of relatives or place of birth: Nadine was the only exchange student of German descent who was attending the high school in California for the period of a year.
4. A social or moral decline into a particularly ill-favored situation: The plight of losing his children in the car accident drove Sam into a descent of madness and self-destruction.
5. A violent attack or invasion: During the summer, there was a sudden descent of grasshoppers in the fields of grain and the farmers were completely helpless in trying to save any of their crops.
6. A decline in value or station of life: After Thomas lost his job at the factory, and not being able to find another one, his family experienced a descent into poverty during the following year.
This entry is located in the following units: de- (page 38) scend-, scen-, scand-, scan-, scans- (page 2)