摘要：“Descendant”源自14世纪中古英语 descendant，来自古法语descendant，追溯至拉丁语 descendens，为 descendere（下降）的现在分词，由 de-（向下）和 scandere（攀登）组成。最初指“下降”或“源于”，后

GRE TOEFL CET4 CET6

DESCENDant

[DESCENDANT]

英 [dɪ'sendənt] 美 [dɪ'sendənt]

n.后裔；子孙；后代

◉词源

“Descendant”源自14世纪中古英语 descendant，来自古法语descendant，追溯至拉丁语 descendens，为 descendere（下降）的现在分词，由 de-（向下）和 scandere（攀登）组成。最初指“下降”或“源于”，后专指后代或继承者。

◉外刊例句

① 《经济学人》（The Economist），2024年10月12日

Descendants of the ancient tribe still practice traditional rituals.

古老部落的后代仍在进行传统仪式。

② 《纽约时报》（The New York Times），2023年11月5日

She traced her descendants to a 17th-century settler.

她追溯自己的后代到一位17世纪的移民。

③ 《卫报》（The Guardian），2025年1月8日

The modern smartphone is a descendant of early mobile devices.

现代智能手机是早期移动设备的衍生物。

◉经典名著

① 《傲慢与偏见》（Pride and Prejudice），简·奥斯汀（Jane Austen），1813年

Her descendants would inherit Longbourn.

她的后代将继承朗伯恩庄园。

② 《双城记》（A Tale of Two Cities），查尔斯·狄更斯（Charles Dickens），1859年

He was a descendant of nobility.

他是贵族的后裔。

◉Usage examples

(1) He is a descendant of Queen Victoria.

(2) I am a descendant of George Washington.

(3) A static method does not change when inherited by a descendant class.

(4) The coastal areas were occupied by the descendants of Greek colonists.

(1) 他是维多利亚女王的后裔。

(2) 我是乔治华盛顿的后代子孙。

(3) 当被子孙类继承时，静态方法并不改变。

(4) 沿海地带居住着希腊殖民者。

◉Usage Notes

The word descendant refers to something that has come down. For example, everyone is a descendant, or the end of a line of ancestors, just as modern art is a descendant of past art that contributed to its style and technique.

The word descendant comes from the word "descend" which means to move in a downward direction. Note that the word can also be spelled with an "-ent" ending. Philosopher Herbert Spencer wrote, “The wise man must remember that while he is a descendant of the past, he is a parent of the future.” Have you ever wondered what your descendants will know about you? Perhaps you could leave them your peanut butter and banana sandwich recipe.

◉柯林斯词典

1[N-COUNT 可数名词]后代；后裔；子孙 Someone's descendants are the people in later generations who are related to them. [usu pl]

① They are descendants of the original English and Scottish settlers.

他们是最初的英格兰和苏格兰定居者的后代。

② ...Lord Cochrane and his descendants.

科克伦勋爵及其后裔

2[N-COUNT 可数名词]派生物；衍生物；后代产物 Something modern which developed from an older thing can be called a descendant of it. [usu N of n]

① His design was a descendant of a 1956 device...

他的设计是从一个 1956 年的装置衍生而来的。

② They are the descendants of plants imported by the early settlers.

它们是早期移民带来的一些植物的后代。

来源：学无用的英语