descender

American  

[dih-sen-der] / dɪˈsɛn dər /

noun

1. a person or thing that descends.

2. Printing.

   1. the part of a lowercase letter that goes below the body.

   2. a letter having such a part, as p, q, j, or y.

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descender British  

/ dɪˈsɛndə /

noun

1. a person or thing that descends

2. printing the portion of a letter, such as j, p, or y, below the level of the base of an x or n

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Etymology

Origin of descender

First recorded in 1660–70; descend + -er ¹

Example Sentences

I want to be the smooth, speedy giant-slalom racing descender, but I'm not.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2019

Ms. Grimmelsman says she is the better climber and her husband is the better descender.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2018

Sagan, who comes from a mountain biking background, is a noted descender.

From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2015

Ese número comenzó a descender en la década de 1950 y para el 2000, eran menos de 50 por año.

From Washington Times • Jul. 8, 2015

We slide fifty feet as I lose control of the descender.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir