In traditional typography the descent of a font was the distance from the bottom of a block of type to the baseline Its precise meaning in modern typograph seems to vary with different definers
emphasis When you want to emphasize that a situation becomes very bad, you can talk about someone's or something's descent into that situation. his swift descent from respected academic to struggling small businessman. = decline
Coming down from above Example: A lion in descent == with its head toward the base point and its heels toward one of the corners of the chief, as if in the act of leaping down from some high place