verbthird conjugation
dēscendō
dēscendō (present infinitive dēscendere, perfect active dēscendī, supine dēscēnsum)
Classical[deːsˈkɛn.doː]Ecclesiastical[deʃˈʃɛn.do]
№ 802 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- to climb down, to go or come down, to descend
[...] mūgīre vidēbis / sub pedibus terram, et dēscendere montibus ornōs.
“[The magic of the enchantress:] You’ll see: [she’ll cause] the earth to rumble under your feet, and ash trees to come down from the mountains.”29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.490–491 - to march down
- to pierce, to penetrate
- to slope down (said of mountains)
- to sink (said of the voice)
- to lower oneself, to stoop
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
deorsum eō; dē monte dēscendimus.dēscendō -ere dēscendī — in Mille Verba, ch. Via et Iter
dēorsum eōdēscendō -ere — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 6, 25
deōrsum eōdēscendō -ere — in Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 1, 21
Conjugation conjugation 3
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | dēscendō | dēscendēbam | dēscendam | dēscendī | dēscenderam | dēscenderō |
| 2nd sg. | dēscendis | dēscendēbās | dēscendēs | dēscendistī | dēscenderās | dēscenderis |
| 3rd sg. | dēscendit | dēscendēbat | dēscendet | dēscendit | dēscenderat | dēscenderit |
| 1st pl. | dēscendimus | dēscendēbāmus | dēscendēmus | dēscendimus | dēscenderāmus | dēscenderimus |
| 2nd pl. | dēscenditis | dēscendēbātis | dēscendētis | dēscendistis | dēscenderātis | dēscenderitis |
| 3rd pl. | dēscendunt | dēscendēbant | dēscendent | dēscendērunt dēscendēre | dēscenderant | dēscenderint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | dēscendam | dēscenderem | dēscenderim | dēscendissem |
| 2nd sg. | dēscendās | dēscenderēs | dēscenderīs | dēscendissēs |
| 3rd sg. | dēscendat | dēscenderet | dēscenderit | dēscendisset |
| 1st pl. | dēscendāmus | dēscenderēmus | dēscenderīmus | dēscendissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | dēscendātis | dēscenderētis | dēscenderītis | dēscendissētis |
| 3rd pl. | dēscendant | dēscenderent | dēscenderint | dēscendissent |
passive indicative
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | dēscendor | dēscendēbar | dēscendar |
| 2nd sg. | dēscenderis dēscendere | dēscendēbāris dēscendēbāre | dēscendēris dēscendēre |
| 3rd sg. | dēscenditur | dēscendēbātur | dēscendētur |
| 1st pl. | dēscendimur | dēscendēbāmur | dēscendēmur |
| 2nd pl. | dēscendiminī | dēscendēbāminī | dēscendēminī |
| 3rd pl. | dēscenduntur | dēscendēbantur | dēscendentur |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | dēscendar | dēscenderer |
| 2nd sg. | dēscendāris dēscendāre | dēscenderēris dēscenderēre |
| 3rd sg. | dēscendātur | dēscenderētur |
| 1st pl. | dēscendāmur | dēscenderēmur |
| 2nd pl. | dēscendāminī | dēscenderēminī |
| 3rd pl. | dēscendantur | dēscenderentur |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | dēscende | dēscendere |
| pres. 2nd pl. | dēscendite | dēscendiminī |
| fut. 2nd sg. | dēscenditō | dēscenditor |
| fut. 3rd sg. | dēscenditō | dēscenditor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | dēscenditōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | dēscenduntō | dēscenduntor |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | dēscendere | dēscendī |
| perfect infinitive | dēscendisse | dēscēnsum esse |
| future infinitive | dēscēnsūrum esse | dēscēnsum īrī |
| present participle | dēscendēns | — |
| perfect participle | — | dēscēnsus dēscēnsa, dēscēnsā, dēscēnsae, dēscēnsam, dēscēnsārum, dēscēnsās, dēscēnse, dēscēnsī, dēscēnsīs, dēscēnsō, dēscēnsōrum, dēscēnsōs |
| future participle | dēscēnsūrus dēscēnsūra, dēscēnsūrā, dēscēnsūrae, dēscēnsūram, dēscēnsūrārum, dēscēnsūrās, dēscēnsūre, dēscēnsūrī, dēscēnsūrīs, dēscēnsūrō, dēscēnsūrōrum, dēscēnsūrōs, dēscēnsūrum | dēscendendus dēscendundus, dēscendenda, dēscendendā, dēscendendae, dēscendendam, dēscendendārum, dēscendendās, dēscendende, dēscendendīs, dēscendendōrum, dēscendendōs |
gerunddēscendendī, dēscendendō, dēscendendumsupinedēscēnsum, dēscēnsū
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- descendere ex equo
- to dismount.
- ad inferos descendere
- to descend to the world below.
- in certamen descendere
- to engage in the fight.
- ad extremum auxilium descendere
- to be reduced to one's last resource.
- in aciem descendere (Liv. 8. 8)
- to enter the field of battle.
- hoc verbum alte descendit in pectus alicuius
- what he said made a deep impression on...
- descendere ad extrema consilia (Fam. 10. 33. 4)
- to have recourse to extreme measures.
- ad vim et arma descendere (vid. sect. V. 9, note Similarly...)
- to have recourse to force of arms.
1 more phrases
- descendere ad aliquid, ad omnia (vid. sect. V. 9, note Similarly descendere...)
- to consent to..., lend oneself to...
dē-scendo, di, sum, 3 (
I. perf. redupl.: descendidit, Valer. Antias ap. Gell. 7, 4 fin.; and, descendiderant, Laber. ib.; perf.: desciderunt, Inscr. Frat. Arv. 13 Henzen.), v. n., to come down; and of inanimate subjects, to fall, sink down, to descend, opp. to ascendo (class. and freq.).
I. Lit.
A. In gen.:
ex equo, to alight, Cic. de Sen. 10, 34; Auct. B. Hisp. 15, 2; for which, equo, Sall. Hist. Fragm. 5, 13: sicut monte descenderat, id. J. 50, 2: e curru, Suet. Tib. 20: e tribunali, id. Claud. 15: de rostris, Cic. Vatin. 11: de templo, Liv. 44, 45: de caelo, id. 6, 18; for which, caelo, Hor. Od. 3, 4, 1: e caelo, Juv. 11, 27: caelo ab alto, Verg. A. 8, 423; cf.: vertice montis ab alto, id. ib. 7, 675; and: ab Histro (Da cus), id. G. 2, 497: ab Alpibus, Liv. 21, 32, 2; 27, 38, 6: monte, Verg. A. 4, 159: aggeribus Alpinis atque arce Monoeci, id. ib. 6, 831: antro Castalio, Ov. M. 3, 14: per clivum, id. F. 1, 263 et saep.—Indicating the terminus ad quem: in mare de caelo, Lucr. 6, 427: Juppiter in terras, id. 6, 402: in pon tum, Sil. 1, 607; 15, 152; cf.: caelo in hibernas undas, Verg. G. 4, 235: caelo ad suos honores templaque, etc., Ov. F. 5, 551: in aestum, Lucr. 6, 402: in inferiorem ambulationem, Cic. Tusc. 4: in campos, Liv. 6, 737; cf. Curt. 9, 9: in Piraeum, Quint. 8, 6, 64 et saep.: ad naviculas, Cic. Ac. 2, 48 fin.: ad genitorem imas Erebi descendit ad umbras, Verg. A. 6, 404: sinus vestis infra genua, Curt. 6, 5 et saep. Poet. also with dat.: nocti, i. e. ad inferos, Sil. 13, 708; cf. Erebo, id. 13, 759.—With sup.: per quod oraculo utentes sciscitatum deos descendunt, Liv. 45, 27, 8.—Absol.: turbo descendit, Lucr. 6, 438; cf. Verg. E. 7, 60: asta ut descendam (sc. ex equo), dismount, alight, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 120; Suet. Galb. 18: descendens (sc. e lecto), Tib. 1, 5, 41: descendo (sc. de arce), Verg. A. 2, 632: umbrae descendentes (sc. ad inferos), Stat. S. 5, 5, 41.—Poet.: trepidi quoties nos descendentis arenae vidimus in partes, i. e. that seemed to sink as the wild beasts rose from the vaults, Calp. Ecl. 7, 69.—B. In partic.
1. To go down, to go, to come, sc. from the dwelling-houses (which in Rome were mostly situated on eminences) to the forum, the comitia, etc.: in forum descendens, Crass. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 66, 267; so, ad forum, Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. 538, 26; Q. Cic. Petit. cons. 14; Valer. Antias ap. Gell. 7, 9 fin.; Liv. 24, 7; 34, 1; cf.:
fuge, quo descendere gestis, Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 5; Orell. ad loc.: ad comitia, Suet. Caes. 13 al.: de palatio et aedibus suis, Cic. Rosc. Am. 46.—Absol.: hodie non descendit Antonius, Cic. Phil. 2, 6, 15; Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 38; Liv. 2, 54; Sen. Ben. 3, 27 al. —c. Of land, etc., to sink, fall, slope:
regio, Val. Fl. 1, 538.—e. Of water conveyed in pipes, to fall:
subeat descendatque, Plin. 31, 6, 31, § 57; cf. of the sea: non magis descenderet aequor, Luc. 5, 338.—2. In milit. lang., to march down, sc. from an eminence into the plain:
ex superioribus locis in planitiem, Caes. B. C. 3, 98; cf. id. ib. 3, 65, 2: qua (sc. de monte), Sall. J. 50, 3: inde (sc. de arce), Liv. 32, 32; cf. id. 7, 29: in aequum locum, Caes. B. G. 7, 53, 2; for which, in aequum, Liv. 1, 12: in campum omnibus copiis, id. 23, 29: in plana, Front. Strat. 2, 5, 18: ad Alexandriam, Liv. 45, 12 et saep.—Absol., Liv. 44, 5; Front. Strat. 3, 17, 9: ad laevam, Sall. J. 55 al.—With supine: praedatum in agros Romanos, Liv. 3, 10, 4; 10, 31, 2.—Hence, b. Transf.:
in aciem, to go into battle, to engage, Liv. 8, 8; 23, 29; Front. Strat. 1, 11, 11 al.: in proelium, id. ib. 2, 1, 10; Just. 21, 2, 5: in certamen, Cic. Tusc. 2, 26: ad pugnam, ad tales pugnas, Val. Fl. 3, 518; Juv. 7, 173; Front. Strat. 2, 1, 11; 2, 5, 41; and even, in bellum, Just. 15, 4, 21; 38, 8, 1; cf.: in belli periculum, id. 15, 1, 2.—3. In medic. lang., of the excrements: to pass off, pass through, Cels. 2, 4 fin.:
olera, id. 1, 6: alvus, id. 2, 7.— 4. Pregn., to sink down, penetrate into any thing (freq. only after the Aug. per.;
not in Cic. and Caes.): ferrum in corpus, Liv. 1, 41; cf. Sil. 16, 544: toto descendit in ilia ferro, Ov. M. 3, 67: (harundo) in caput, Luc. 6, 216; cf.: in jugulos gladiis descendebant (hostes), Flor. 3, 10, 13: ense in jugulos, Claud. B. Get. 601: in terram (fulmen), Plin. 2, 55, 56, § 146: in rimam calamus, id. 17, 14, 24, § 102: subjacens soli duritia non patitur in altum descendere (radices), lapathi radix ad tria cubita, Plin. 19, 6, 31, § 98 et saep.: toto corpore pestis, Verg. A. 5, 683: galeas vetant descendere cristae, to sink down, Stat. Th. 9, 262. —5. In an obscene sense, Catull. 112, 2; Juv. 11, 163.—
II. Trop.
A. In gen. (esp. freq. in Quint.), to descend, etc.:
a vita pastorali ad agriculturam, Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 3 sq.; cf.: ad aliquem, Just. 1, 4, 1: usus in nostram aetatem descendit, Quint. 1, 11, 18: (vox) attollitur concitatis affectibus, compositis descendit, id. 11, 3, 65; cf. id. 9, 4, 92: grammatici omnes in hanc descendent rerum tenuitatem, id. 1, 4, 7 et saep.: in omnia familiaritatis officia, Plin. Pan. 85, 5.—Pass. impers.: eo contemptionis descensum, ut, etc., Tac. A. 15, 1 et saep.: si quid tamen olim Scripseris, in Maeci descendat judicis aures, Hor. A. P. 387: si descendere ad ipsum Ordine perpetuo quaeris sunt hujus origo Ilus et Assaracus, etc., Ov. M. 11, 754.—B. In partic.
1. (Acc. to no. I. A. 4.) To sink deep into, to penetrate deeply:
quod verbum in pectus Jugurthae altius, quam quisquam ratus erat, descendit, Sall. J. 11, 7; cf.: ut altius injuriae quam merita descendant, Sen. Ben. 1, 1 med.; id. Contr. 1 praef.; Spart. Ant. Get. 6: cura in animos Patrum, Liv. 3, 52; cf.: qui (metus deorum) cum descendere ad animos ... non posset, id. 1, 19: nemo in sese tentat descendere, to examine himself, Pers. 4, 23.—2. To lower one's self, descend to an act or employment, etc.; to yield, agree to any act, esp. to one which is unpleasant or wrong (freq. in Cic. and Caes.; cf. Orell. ad Cic. Cael. 2, and Fabri ad Liv. 23, 14, 3).—Constr. with ad, very rarely with in or absol.:
senes ad ludum adolescentium descendant, Cic. Rep. 1, 43; cf. id. de Or. 2, 6: ad calamitatum societates, id. Lael. 17, 64: sua voluntate sapientem descendere ad rationes civitatis non solere, id. Rep. 1, 6 al.: ad ejusmodi consilium, Caes. B. G. 5, 29, 5: ad innocentium supplicia, id. ib. 6, 16 fin.: ad vim atque ad arma, id. ib. 7, 33: ad gravissimas verborum contumelias, id. B. C. 3, 83: ad accusandum, ad inimicitias, Cic. Mur. 27, 56; id. Sest. 41, 89; cf. id. Div. in Caecil. 1: ad extrema, Pollio ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 33, 4: ad frontis urbanae praemia, Hor. Ep. 1, 9, 11: preces in omnes, Verg. A. 5, 782: videte, quo descendam, judices, Cic. Font. 1, 2; cf. Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 38; Caes. B. C. 1, 81, 5: ad intellectum audientis, Quint. 1, 2, 27: ad minutissima opera, id. 1, 12, 14; 4, 2, 15: placet mihi ista defensio; descendo, I acquiesce, id. ib. 2, 2, 72.—3. (Mostly ante-Aug.) To descend or proceed from any person or thing:
ex gradu ascendentium vel descendentium uxorem ducere, Dig. 23, 2, 68 et saep.: quod genus liberalitatis ex jure gentium descendit, ib. 43, 26, 1; cf. ib. 18, 1, 57 fin.: a Platone, Plin. 22, 24, 51, § 111; Lampr. Alex. Sev. 43.—Hence, subst.: dē-scendens, entis, m. and f., a descendant; plur. descendentes, posterity, Dig. 23, 2, 68. —4. (In Quint.) To depart, deviate, differ from:
tantum ab eo defluebat, quantum ille (sc. Seneca) ab antiquis descenderat, Quint. 10, 1, 126; id. 3, 5, 8.!*? The passive is very rare, Plin. 2, 16, 13, § 71; Prud. Apoth. 1075.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
dē-scendō dī, sus, ere,
to climb down, come down, descend, fall, sink: ex equo, to alight: monte, S.: de palatio: caelo, H.: e caelo, Iu.: vertice montis ab alto, V.: ab Alpibus, L.: arce Monoeci, V.: per clivum, O.: in campum: in ventrem, to be eaten, H.: caelo in undas, V.: ad naviculas: Ad mare, H.: Sacrā viā, H.: sciscitatum deos descendunt, L.: Iuppiter laeto descendet imbri, V.: O testa ... Descende (i. e. ex apothecā), H.—To go down, go, come (to business, etc.): in forum ante lucem: ad forum, L.: fuge, quo descendere gestis, H.: de palatio: hodie non descendit Antonius: quod non descenderet tribunus, L.: in causam, to engage.—Of troops, to march down: ex superioribus locis in planitiem, Cs.: quā (sc. de monte), S.: inde (sc. de arce), L.: in aequum, L.: omnibus copiis in campum descensum est, L.: ad laevam, S.: praedatum in agros Romanos, L.: descensum in aciem est, the battle began, L.: in certamen: Ad pugnam rhetoricā ab umbrā, Iu.—To sink down, penetrate: ferrum alte in corpus, L.: toto in ilia ferro, O.: toto corpore pestis, V.: in iudicis aurīs, H.—Fig., to go down, descend, sink, penetrate: verbum in pectus altius, S.: cura in animos patrum, L.: descendere ad ipsum Ordine perpetuo, follow the line of descent, O.—To lower oneself, descend, stoop, yield, agree to: senes ad ludum adulescentium descendant: ad calamitatum societates: ad eius modi consilium, Cs.: ad ultimum rei p. auxilium, L.: preces in omnīs, V.: videte, quo descendam.
Origins
- Proto-Indo-European*de
- Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
- Proto-Italic*dē
- Latindēscendō
Latin dē- Proto-Indo-European *skend-der. Proto-Italic *skandō Latin scandō Latin dēscendō From dē- + scandō.
Descendants
- Italiandiscendere
- Italianscendere
- Frenchdescendrefrom Old French descendre
- Englishdescendfrom Old French descendre
- Portuguesedescerfrom Old Galician-Portuguese decer
- Romaniandeștinde
- Romaniandeștinge
- Catalandescendir
- Occitandescénder
- Portuguesedescenderfrom Old Galician-Portuguese decender
In English words that came into English from dēscendō
- descenddēscendere
- descendantdēscendēns
- condescendcondēscendere
- condescensioncondēscēnsiō
- condescendencecondescendere
- descensiondescensio