Etymology : irregular from ascend
Pronunciation : &-'sent, a-
Function : noun
Date : circa 1596
1. climbing; rising up; upward slope. ascent\as*cent"\ . [formed like descent, as if from a f. ascente, fr. a verb ascendre, fr. l. ascendere. see:
ascend, descent.].
2. the act of rising; motion upward; rise; a mounting upward; as, he made a tedious ascent; the ascent of vapors from the earth. to him with swift ascent he up returned.
3. the way or means by which one ascends.
4. an eminence, hill, or high place.
5. the degree of elevation of an object, or the angle it makes with a horizontal line; inclination; rising grade; as, a road has an ascent of five degrees.ascent n.
6. an upward slope or grade (as in a road); "the car couldn't make the grade" [syn: acclivity, rise, raise, climb, upgrade] [ant: descent].
7. a movement upward; "they cheered the rise of the hot-air balloon" [syn: rise, rising, ascension] [ant: fall].
8. the act of changing location in an upward direction [syn: rise, ascension, ascending].
9. The act of rising; motion upward; rise; a mounting upward; as, he made a tedious ascent; the ascent of vapors from the earth.
10. The way or means by which one ascends.
11. An eminence, hill, or high place.
12. The degree of elevation of an object, or the angle it makes with a horizontal line; inclination; rising grade; as, a road has an ascent of five degrees. an upward slope or grade ; "the car couldn't make it up the rise".
13. 1. An ascent is an upward journey, especially when you are walking or climbing. In 1955 he led the first ascent of Kangchenjunga, the world's third highest mountain. ¡Ù descent.
14. An ascent is an upward slope or path, especially when you are walking or climbing. It was a tough course over a gradual ascent before the big climb of Bluebell Hill. ¡Ù descent.
15. An ascent is an upward, vertical movement. Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent. ¡Ù descent.
16. The ascent of a person to a more important or successful position is the process of reaching this position. = rise.
17. In some religions, when someone goes to heaven, you can refer to their ascent to heaven.