descent
Going toward bottom
Descent is movement downward—a plane's descent, a descent into a valley.
The word extends to decline or deterioration: a descent into madness, the company's descent into bankruptcy.
Descent also means lineage or ancestry, tracing one's origins through generations: She is of Italian descent.
A steep descent is a slope or stairway going down.
Angled rising surface
- gradientRate of change across space
- pitchFrequency of sound
- steepnessAngle of incline
- gradeClassification by rank
declivity · downhill · dropoff · mountainside · hillside · precipice · ravine · cliff
Family line of descent
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
- pedigreeRecord of descent
forebears · progenitors · dynasty · kinship · clan · tribe · succession · inheritance
Process of declining quality
- degradationDecline in condition
- downfallSudden loss of power
- slumpExtended period of decline
- downturnEconomic decline period
decrease · diminution · drop · plunge · fall · ebb · wane · collapse
incline
Angled rising surface
grade · declivity · downhill · dropoff · mountainside · hillside · precipice · ravine · cliff · escarpment
ancestry
Family line of descent
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- genealogyStudy of family descent
- bloodlineAncestry through generations
pedigree · forebears · progenitors · dynasty · kinship · clan · tribe · succession · inheritance · parentage
deterioration
Process of declining quality
- degradationDecline in condition
- downfallSudden loss of power
- slumpExtended period of decline
downturn · decrease · diminution · drop · plunge · fall · ebb · wane · collapse · decay
raid
Sudden armed incursion
- assaultViolent offensive act
- onslaughtFierce, overwhelming assault
- incursionHostile territorial penetration
invasion · swoop · charge · ambush · strike · storming · overrun · blitz · offensive · sortie
touchdown
Six-point gridiron play
final · altitude · airspeed · altimeter · glidepath · deceleration · vertical · controlled · smooth · steep
- cyclingbikes, bicycles, cycling, cyclist, cyclists
- divingscuba, scuba diving, dive mask, dive helmet, diving bells
- mythsmyth, legend, fable, fairy tale, folk tale
- skiingskiing, ski, ski resort, ski slope, ski slopes
- altitudehigh altitude, low altitude, cruising altitude, flight level, sea level
- ancestryancestors, kinship, ancestor, clan, ancestry
descentimprovement
Positive change in quality
progress · advance · betterment · upturn · rise
- descend onArrive suddenly, often overwhelmingly
- direct descendantAncestor's biological successor
- descend uponArrive suddenly, often overwhelmingly
- descent into madnessProgressive loss of sanity
- controlled descentIntentional, regulated falling
- descending orderArrangement from greatest downward
descend, descendants, descendant, descending, condescend, descended, descents, descender