descent

下降、降下

高い場所から低い場所へ移動すること。

やさしい英語で： The act of moving from a higher place to a lower one.

• The plane began its descent.
• Our descent from the mountain was slow.
• A sudden descent made several passengers nervous.

使い方： descent from something (Our descent from the summit took two hours.); descent into something (The plane began its descent into the valley.)

反対語： ascent

よく使う表現： begin the descent, rapid descent, descent from something

血統、家系

親や祖先が属していた家族や人々の集団にさかのぼる出自。

やさしい英語で： The family or group of people your parents and earlier relatives came from.

• She is of Turkish descent.
• Many families here have mixed descent.
• He traced his descent from ancestors who lived in Scotland.

使い方： of … descent (Her grandparents were of Italian descent.); descent from someone (He traced his descent from a local farming family.)

類義語： ancestry, origin, lineage

よく使う表現： of Irish descent, mixed descent, African descent, of Welsh descent

下り道

高い場所から低い場所へ通じる道。

やさしい英語で： A path or route that leads from a higher place to a lower one.

• This descent is very steep.
• We chose the descent on the eastern side.
• Is there an easier descent to the valley?

使い方： descent to something (This descent to the village is safer.)

類義語： way down, downhill route

よく使う表現： steep descent, descent to something, find a descent, slippery descent