to rise to a higher point, rank, or degree; proceed from an inferior to a superior degree or level:
to ascend to the presidency.
4.
to go toward the source or beginning; go back in time.
5.
Music. to rise in pitch; pass from any tone to a higher one.
verb (used with object)
6.
to go or move upward upon or along; climb; mount:
to ascend a lookout tower; to ascend stairs.
7.
to gain or succeed to; acquire:
to ascend the throne.
Origin
1350-1400;Middle Englishascenden < Anglo-Frenchascendre < Latinascendere to climb up, equivalent to a-a-5 + -scendere, combining form of scandere to climb. See scan
In this vertical wonderland it seems only right to ascend.
You ascend several thousand feet, descend, then ascend again.
Together, they ascend the long ladder and polish the stars to a gleaming brilliance.
Passengers enter through doorways at the center of each car and ascend a central stairway to the seating level.
The flashlights of fellow climbers ascend in a bizarre procession.
Two crack parachutists will make a series of jumps from balloons that may ascend as high as 90000 feet.
The cycle will ascend to the curators again soon enough if there is money.
Disks ascend to the top-tune lists almost solely on the strength of juke box play.
Then she ascended the steps and surveyed her handiwork.
The most versatile boots, however, are the soft suede styles that ascend over the knee.
British Dictionary definitions for ascend
ascend
/əˈsɛnd/
verb
1.
to go or move up (a ladder, hill, slope, etc); mount; climb
2.
(intransitive) to slope or incline upwards
3.
(intransitive) to rise to a higher point, level, degree, etc
4.
to follow (a river) upstream towards its source
5.
to trace (a genealogy, etc) back in time
6.
to sing or play (a scale, arpeggio, etc) from the lower to higher notes
7.
ascend the throne, to become king or queen
Word Origin
C14: from Latin ascendere, from scandere
Word Origin and History for ascend
v.
late 14c., from Latin ascendere "to climb up, mount, ascend," figuratively "to rise, reach," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + scandere "to climb" (see scan (v.)). Also in 15c. used with a sense "to mount (a female) for copulation." Related: Ascended; ascending. An Old English word for it was stigan.