filiation vs descent

filiation and descent both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
filiation	Yes	No	No	No
descent	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, descent is a hyponym of filiation; that is, descent is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than filiation:

Other hyponyms of filiation include extraction, origin, bloodline, pedigree.

As nouns, filiation and descent are synonyms defined as:

filiation and descent: the kinship relation between an individual and the individual's progenitors

Other synonyms of filiation include line of descent, lineage.

filiation (noun)	descent (noun)
inherited properties shared with others of your bloodline	the act of changing your location in a downward direction
the kinship relation between an individual and the individual's progenitors	properties attributable to your ancestry
	a movement downward
	the hereditary derivation of an individual
	a downward slope or bend
	the kinship relation between an individual and the individual's progenitors