'descendant' originates from the Latin word 'descendere,' where 'de-' meant 'down' and 'scandere' meant 'to climb.'

'descendere' transformed into the Old French word 'descendant,' and eventually became the modern English word 'descendant.'

Initially, it meant 'one who descends,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a person who is descended from an ancestor.'