descendant
gb/dɪsˈɛndənt/ us/dɪsˈɛndənt/
B2
English
~ 9100
leszármazott, származék
NOUN
B2
1
leszármazott
B2
Usage pattern:
a descendant of [someone/some group]
She claims to be a direct descendant of the famous painter.
Azt állítja, hogy a híres festő egyenes ági leszármazottja.
Many of the island’s current residents are descendants of shipwrecked sailors.
A sziget mai lakói közül sokan hajótörést szenvedett tengerészek leszármazottai.
As a descendant of immigrants, he feels a strong connection to both cultures.
The ceremony honored the descendants of the people who founded the town.
DNA evidence helped researchers identify living descendants of the ancient king.
Learner examples
I am a descendant of farmers from this village.
Ebből a faluból származó gazdák leszármazottja vagyok.
They met with the descendants of the writer to talk about his life.
Találkoztak az író leszármazottaival, hogy beszéljenek az életéről.
He is a direct descendant of the country’s first president.
The descendants of the family still live in that big house.
Many people in this city are descendants of workers who came here 100 years ago.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'descendant' with 'ancestor'. Remember: an ancestor is someone in the past you come from; a descendant is someone in the future (or later generation) who comes from you or from another person. Spelling is also tricky: 'descendant' (with 'ant'), not 'descendent'.
Meaning
person from a later generation
Collocations
direct descendant
|distant descendant
|living descendants
|royal descendants
|descendants of immigrants
|descendants of slaves
Synonyms
offspring (Usually refers to children directly, while 'descendant' often includes many later generations.)
Antonyms
ancestor (An ancestor is someone you come from in the past; a descendant is someone in the future who comes from you.)
Themes
family
|history
|relationships
|animals
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A person who comes from another person in the past, like a child, grandchild, or great‑grandchild of that person.
A person, or sometimes an animal or plant, who is directly related to someone who lived earlier, usually several generations back.
NOUN
C1
2
leszármazott
C1
származék
C1
Usage pattern:
a descendant of [something earlier]
This operating system is a direct descendant of early Unix software.
Ez az operációs rendszer a korai Unix-szoftverek közvetlen leszármazottja.
Modern Romance languages are descendants of Latin.
A modern újlatin nyelvek a latin leszármazottai.
The new model is clearly a descendant of last year’s design.
Today’s smartphones are descendants of simple mobile phones from the 1990s.
Many internet memes are descendants of older jokes and cartoons.
Learner examples
Spanish and French are descendants of Latin.
A spanyol és a francia a latin leszármazottai.
This small car is a descendant of an older racing model.
Ez a kisautó egy régebbi versenymodell leszármazottja.
Most modern computers are descendants of a few early machines.
Her music is a descendant of 1990s pop and rock styles.
This writing system is a descendant of an ancient script.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'descendant' can only be used for people. It is also common in modern English to use it for things like languages, technologies, and styles that developed from something earlier.
Meaning
later version of something earlier
Collocations
modern descendant
|spiritual descendant
|linguistic descendant
|cultural descendant
|descendant of earlier versions
Synonyms
successor (Often focuses on what comes next in order, while 'descendant' highlights development from an original form or line.)
Antonyms
predecessor (A predecessor is what came before; a descendant is what came later and developed from it.)
Themes
technology
|culture
|science
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A later version of something that grew or changed from an earlier thing, like a new technology, language, or style.
Something such as a product, idea, language, or style that has developed from an earlier form or example.
Grammar
Dictionary form
descendant
IPA
GB/dɪsˈɛndənt/
US/dɪsˈɛndənt/
Syllables & stress
des - cend - ant (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (cend)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: descendant
- Plural: descendants
Word family
Expressions
be a descendant of
1/bˈi ə dɪsˈɛndənt əv/
fixed phrase
belong to a later family line
To come from a person or group in the past as part of their family line.
Examples
- She is a descendant of one of the country’s first settlers.
- They discovered that he was a descendant of the famous scientist.
- Many citizens here are descendants of people who escaped the war.