Descendant Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

Britannica Dictionary definition of DESCENDANT

[count]

1

:

someone who is related to a person or group of people who lived in the past

• One of the famous inventor's descendants is also an inventor.
• Many people in this area are descendants of German immigrants.

2

:

a plant or animal that is related to a particular plant or animal that lived long ago

• Recent evidence supports the theory that birds are the modern descendants of dinosaurs.

3

:

something that developed from another thing that was made or existed earlier

• The Italian language is one of Latin's descendants.