ascent

[uh-sent] /əˈsɛnt/
noun
1.
an act of ascending; upward movement; a rising movement:
the ascent of a balloon.
2.
movement upward from a lower to a higher state, degree, grade, or status; advancement:
His ascent to the governorship came after a long political career.
3.
the act of climbing or traveling up:
Three climbers attempted the ascent of Mount Rainier.
4.
the way or means of ascending; upward slope; acclivity.
5.
a movement or return toward a source or beginning.
6.
the degree of inclination; gradient:
a steep ascent.
Origin
1590-1600; derivative of ascend, on the model of descent
Related forms
reascent, noun
Can be confused
ascent, assent, consent.
Examples from the web for ascent
  • During ascent, the diver stops at 150 feet and turns a valve to dump the helium he has been breathing.
  • We all know the formula: 10 pounds of extra weight on a 5 percent grade slows your ascent by half a mile an hour.
  • Until now scientists have theorized that tool making and meat eating set the conditions for the ascent of man.
  • We clipped our ropes onto a cable and began the ascent, a mixture of hiking and climbing.
  • Those controllers confer by radio with pilots about which predefined paths to follow for departure, ascent, descent and landing.
  • The new balloon's fast ascent gives it several advantages over slower types.
  • Old age is not an illness, it is a timeless ascent.
  • Leaving gear behind is not uncommon for experienced climbers who are making a quick ascent.
  • Their successful ascent may have provided a clue to another climber's mysterious fate.
  • The goal is to experience the wilderness with your family — not train for an Everest ascent.
British Dictionary definitions for ascent

ascent

/əˈsɛnt/
noun
1.
the act of ascending; climb or upward movement: the ascent of hot gases
2.
an upward slope; incline or gradient
3.
movement back through time, as in tracing of earlier generations (esp in the phrase line of ascent)
Word Origin and History for ascent
n.

c.1610, "action of ascending," from ascend on model of descend/descent; "climbing" sense is from 1753.