descender

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English descend

Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.

Proto-Italic *-āzios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

English -er

English descender

From descend + -er (agent noun suffix).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈsɛndə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛndə(ɹ)

Noun

descender (plural descenders)

Examples
The letters g, p, and q all have descenders.

1. A person or thing that descends.

   Coordinate term: ascender

2. (typography) The part of a letter or number that is drawn below the baseline (the bottom of most lowercase letters).

   Synonym: tail

   Coordinate term: ascender

3. (typography, uncommon) A letter that has such a portion, such as g, j, or in some fonts Q.

   Coordinate term: ascender

4. (cycling) A cyclist who excels at fast descents.
5. (climbing) A belay device used in rock climbing, or as a fire escape.

Translations

typography

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 下延部 (xiàyánbù), 降部 (jiàngbù)

• Finnish: alapidennys (fi)
• German: Unterlänge (de) f
• Hungarian: lenyúló szár (hu)
• Japanese: ディセンダー (disentā)
• Latin: descensus
• Portuguese: cauda (pt)
• Spanish: descensor m

climbing

• German: Abseilgerät n
• Spanish: descensor m

Anagrams

• redescend

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• decender (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese decender, borrowed from Latin dēscendere. Compare descer, probably an inherited doublet.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /de.sẽˈde(ʁ)/ [de.sẽˈde(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /de.sẽˈde(ʁ)/ [de.sẽˈde(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /de.sẽˈde(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /de.sẽˈde(ʁ)/ [de.sẽˈde(χ)]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /de.sẽˈde(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): (careful) /dɨʃ.sẽˈdeɾ/, /dɨ.ʃẽˈdeɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): (careful) /dɨʃ.sẽˈdeɾ/, /dɨ.ʃẽˈdeɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): (careful) /dɨʃ.sẽˈde.ɾi/, /dɨ.ʃẽˈde.ɾi/

Verb

descender (first-person singular present descendo, first-person singular preterite descendi, past participle descendido)

1. (intransitive) to descend (to pass from a higher to a lower place)
2. (genealogy, with de) to descend (from) (to have as an ancestor)
3. (etymology, with de) to descend (from) (to have as an etymon)

Conjugation

    Conjugation of descender (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	descender
Personal	descender	descenderes	descender	descendermos	descenderdes	descenderem
Gerund
	descendendo
Past participle
Masculine	descendido			descendidos
Feminine	descendida			descendidas
Indicative
Present	descendo	descendes	descende	descendemos	descendeis	descendem
Imperfect	descendia	descendias	descendia	descendíamos	descendíeis	descendiam
Preterite	descendi	descendeste	descendeu	descendemos	descendestes	descenderam
Pluperfect	descendera	descenderas	descendera	descendêramos	descendêreis	descenderam
Future	descenderei	descenderás	descenderá	descenderemos	descendereis	descenderão
Conditional	descenderia	descenderias	descenderia	descenderíamos	descenderíeis	descenderiam
Subjunctive
Present	descenda	descendas	descenda	descendamos	descendais	descendam
Imperfect	descendesse	descendesses	descendesse	descendêssemos	descendêsseis	descendessem
Future	descender	descenderes	descender	descendermos	descenderdes	descenderem
Imperative
Affirmative		descende	descenda	descendamos	descendei	descendam
Negative (não)		não descendas	não descenda	não descendamos	não descendais	não descendam

Synonyms

• (to go down): descer, baixar

Related terms

• ascender
• condescender
• descendente

Further reading

• “descender”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “descender”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish decender, decendir, borrowed from Latin dēscendere. Compare also the Old Spanish form deçir, which was likely inherited from the same source.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /desθenˈdeɾ/ [d̪es.θẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /desenˈdeɾ/ [d̪e.sẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ] (Latin America, Philippines)

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɾ
• Syllabification: des‧cen‧der

Verb

descender (first-person singular present desciendo, first-person singular preterite descendí, past participle descendido)

1. to descend

Conjugation

    Conjugation of descender (e-ie alternation) (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			descender
gerund			descendiendo
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		descendido		descendida
		plural		descendidos		descendidas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	desciendo	desciendestú descendésvos	desciende	descendemos	descendéis	descienden
	imperfect	descendía	descendías	descendía	descendíamos	descendíais	descendían
	preterite	descendí	descendiste	descendió	descendimos	descendisteis	descendieron
	future	descenderé	descenderás	descenderá	descenderemos	descenderéis	descenderán
	conditional	descendería	descenderías	descendería	descenderíamos	descenderíais	descenderían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	descienda	desciendastú descendásvos2	descienda	descendamos	descendáis	desciendan
	imperfect (ra)	descendiera	descendieras	descendiera	descendiéramos	descendierais	descendieran
	imperfect (se)	descendiese	descendieses	descendiese	descendiésemos	descendieseis	descendiesen
	future1	descendiere	descendieres	descendiere	descendiéremos	descendiereis	descendieren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		desciendetú descendévos	descienda	descendamos	descended	desciendan
	negative		no desciendas	no descienda	no descendamos	no descendáis	no desciendan

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of descender (e-ie alternation)

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive descender	dative	descenderme	descenderte	descenderle, descenderse	descendernos	descenderos	descenderles, descenderse
	accusative	descenderme	descenderte	descenderlo, descenderla, descenderse	descendernos	descenderos	descenderlos, descenderlas, descenderse
with gerund descendiendo	dative	descendiéndome	descendiéndote	descendiéndole, descendiéndose	descendiéndonos	descendiéndoos	descendiéndoles, descendiéndose
	accusative	descendiéndome	descendiéndote	descendiéndolo, descendiéndola, descendiéndose	descendiéndonos	descendiéndoos	descendiéndolos, descendiéndolas, descendiéndose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative desciende	dative	desciéndeme	desciéndete	desciéndele	desciéndenos	not used	desciéndeles
	accusative	desciéndeme	desciéndete	desciéndelo, desciéndela	desciéndenos	not used	desciéndelos, desciéndelas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative descendé	dative	descendeme	descendete	descendele	descendenos	not used	descendeles
	accusative	descendeme	descendete	descendelo, descendela	descendenos	not used	descendelos, descendelas
with formal second-person singular imperative descienda	dative	desciéndame	not used	desciéndale, desciéndase	desciéndanos	not used	desciéndales
	accusative	desciéndame	not used	desciéndalo, desciéndala, desciéndase	desciéndanos	not used	desciéndalos, desciéndalas
with first-person plural imperative descendamos	dative	not used	descendámoste	descendámosle	descendámonos	descendámoos	descendámosles
	accusative	not used	descendámoste	descendámoslo, descendámosla	descendámonos	descendámoos	descendámoslos, descendámoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative descended	dative	descendedme	not used	descendedle	descendednos	descendeos	descendedles
	accusative	descendedme	not used	descendedlo, descendedla	descendednos	descendeos	descendedlos, descendedlas
with formal second-person plural imperative desciendan	dative	desciéndanme	not used	desciéndanle	desciéndannos	not used	desciéndanles, desciéndanse
	accusative	desciéndanme	not used	desciéndanlo, desciéndanla	desciéndannos	not used	desciéndanlos, desciéndanlas, desciéndanse

Derived terms

• descendente
• descendiente
• descendimiento

Related terms

• ascender
• condescender
• descendencia
• descenso

Further reading

• “descender”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025