Descendant Selector ("ancestor descendant")

descendant ( ancestor, descendant ) version added: 1.0

  • ancestor
    Type: Selector
    Any valid selector.
  • descendant
    Type: Selector
    A selector to filter the descendant elements.

Description: Selects all elements that are descendants of a given ancestor.

A descendant of an element could be a child, grandchild, great-grandchild, and so on, of that element.

Examples:

Example: Mark all inputs that are descendants of a form with a dotted blue border. Give a yellow background to inputs that are descendants of a fieldset that is a descendant of a form. 

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>css demo</title>

  <style>

  form {
    border: 2px green solid;
    padding: 2px;
    margin: 0;
    background: #efe;
  }
  div {
    color: red;
  }
  fieldset {
    margin: 1px;
    padding: 3px;
  }

  </style>

  <script src="//code.jquery.com/jquery-1.10.2.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
  

<form>
  <div>Form is surrounded by the green border.</div>

  <label for="name">Child of form:</label>
  <input name="name" id="name">

  <fieldset>
    <label for="newsletter">Grandchild of form, child of fieldset:</label>
    <input name="newsletter" id="newsletter">
  </fieldset>
</form>
Sibling to form: <input name="none">

<script>

$( "form input" ).css( "border", "2px dotted blue" );
$( "form fieldset input" ).css( "backgroundColor", "yellow" );

</script>

  
</body>
</html>

Demo: