descendant
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descendant
A person who is descended from another person or a group of ancestors; an offspring.
Er ist ein direkter Nachfahre eines berühmten Entdeckers aus dem 16. Jahrhundert.
He is a direct descendant of a famous explorer from the 16th century.
The word is made up of the prefix 'nach-' (in the sense of 'after' or 'following') and the stem of 'fahren' (to drive/travel). A 'Nachfahre' (descendant) is therefore literally someone who 'travels after' or follows in the sequence of generations.
Die Nachfahren der Einwanderer leben heute in der dritten Generation hier.
The descendants of the immigrants now live here in the third generation.
'Der Nachfahre' belongs to the N-declension. This means that the word takes the ending '-n' in all cases except the nominative singular, e.g. 'des Nachfahren' (of the descendant), 'dem Nachfahren' (to the descendant), 'den Nachfahren' (the descendant).
Das Museum sucht nach den Nachfahren des Künstlers.
The museum is looking for the artist's descendants.
To express descent, 'Nachfahre' (descendant) is usually used with the genitive or with the preposition 'von' + dative. The genitive is somewhat more formal.
Er ist ein Nachfahre eines berühmten Komponisten.
He is a descendant of a famous composer.
descendant
Nachfahre and Nachkomme both refer to a person descended from someone. Nachkomme is the more general term and can also mean a child or grandchild. Nachfahre is more often used when referring to later generations or a historical line of descent.
Ein Nachfahre der vor Jahrhunderten ausgewanderten Familie besucht heute das Heimatdorf.
A descendant of the family that emigrated centuries ago is visiting its home village today.
Sein Sohn ist der jüngste Nachkomme der Familie.
His son is the family's youngest descendant.
