a person, plant or animal that comes from an ancestor
example
There has always been a person on the media who claims to be the direct descendant of a king, queen or an emperor.
synonyms
heiroffspringkin
word origin — late Middle English (as an adjective in the sense ‘deriving from an ancestor’): partly from French, present participle of descendre ‘to descend’ and partly from Latin, present participle of descendere ‘to descend’ (see descend). The noun dates from the mid 16th century
Upper-Intermediate — Set 99
Set 99 of Upper-Intermediate covers 5 words: descendant, ancestor, applicant, governor, opponent. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.
descendant · noun/dəˈsɛnd(ə)nt/
a person, plant or animal that comes from an ancestor
There has always been a person on the media who claims to be the direct descendant of a king, queen or an emperor.
Synonyms: heir, offspring, kin
Origin: late Middle English (as an adjective in the sense ‘deriving from an ancestor’): partly from French, present participle of descendre ‘to descend’ and partly from Latin, present participle of descendere ‘to descend’ (see descend). The noun dates from the mid 16th century
ancestor · noun/ˈænˌsɛstər/
a family member who lived long ago or an animal which modern animals developed from
Many scientists believe that Miacis, a weasel like animal, could be the common ancestor of cats and dogs.
Synonyms: predecessor, forebear
Origin: Middle English: from Old French ancestre, from Latin antecessor, from antecedere, from ante ‘before’ + cedere ‘go’
applicant · noun/ˈæplək(ə)nt/
a person who formally asks for a job, university place or money from the bank
Each applicant in the interview was asked to give a demo lesson to the jury in order to show their teaching skills.
Synonyms: candidate, seeker
Origin: early 17th century (as an adjective in the sense ‘applying or conferring something’): from Latin applicant-, from the verb applicare (see apply) + -ant. The sense ‘a person who makes formal application’ dates from the late 18th century
governor · noun/ˈɡəv(ə)nər/
a person who is in charge of a part of a country
In Australia, each state governor is appointed by the Queen on advice of a political leader.
Synonyms: administrator, manager, chief
Origin: Middle English: from Old French governeour, from Latin gubernator, from gubernare (see govern)
opponent · noun/əˈpoʊnənt/
a person who is competing against you
Many candidates refuse to participate in a live talk show with the opponent on TV as they may be afraid of losing temper.
Synonyms: competitor, rival, enemy
Origin: late 16th century (denoting a person opening an academic debate by proposing objections to a philosophical or religious thesis): from Latin opponent- ‘setting against’, from the verb opponere, from ob- ‘against’ + ponere ‘place’