French Conversation · Level 29
89 words
French word
descendant
Pronunciation
IPA/desɑ̃dɑ̃/
Meaning
- masculine noundescendant
Example
La famille compte de nombreux descendants aujourd'hui.
The family has many descendants today.
More examples
Peu de descendants conservent les traditions familiales.
Few descendants preserve family traditions.
Core concept
A person farther down a family line, with no generation specified.
Common phrases
les descendants légitimes
lawful descendants
descendant direct
lineal descendant
Similar words
enfant: A child born to a parent, usually one generation below.
fils: A male child of a parent or parents.
fille: A female child of a parent or parents.
petit-enfant: A child of one's child; a grandchild.
Definition in French
Individu appartenant aux générations suivantes d'une même famille sans préciser le degré (enfant, petit-enfant, etc.).
Word origin
French descendant comes from Latin descendere, 'to descend', through Old French descendant, a present-participle form used as a noun.
Usage tips
- The noun is masculine as descendant and feminine as descendante, with plural forms descendants and descendantes.
Opposites
- ancêtreforebearnoun
Related words
- descendancedescentnoun
- descendantdescendantadjective