ascendant

ascendant

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French ascendant, from Latin ascendens.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈsɛndənt/

• Audio (RP)

  (file)

Adjective

ascendant (comparative more ascendant, superlative most ascendant)

1. Rising, moving upward.
   • 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], OCLC 152706203:

     The constellation […] about that time ascendant.

2. Surpassing or controlling.
   • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), 6th edition, London: […] J[ames] Bettenham, for Jonah Bowyer, […], published 1727, OCLC 21766567:

     An ascendant spirit above him.

   • 1848, John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy: With Some of Their Applications to Social Philosophy. […], volume I, London: John W[illiam] Parker, […], OCLC 948263597, book I (Production), page 19:

     […] while the ascendant community obtained a surplus of wealth, available for purposes of collective luxury or magnificence.

   • 1995 May 21, Steven Levy, “The Unabomber and David Gelernter”, in The New York Times‎, ISSN 0362-4331:

     At the same time, he sees our current society, where computers are ascendant, as lacking authority.

   • 2015 August 1, Martin Chulov, “Ascendant Kurds emerge from Syrian civil war as major power player”, in The Guardian‎:

     Now, with Syria’s Kurds ascendant, hopes that the country as it is now may again be controlled from Damascus are also falling.

Translations

Rising, moving upward

Bulgarian: възходящ (bg) (vǎzhodjašt), изгряващ (bg) (izgrjavašt), издигащ се (izdigašt se) Finnish: nouseva (fi), nousussa oleva Irish: ardaitheach Italian: nascente (it) Persian: براینده‎ (barāyande), برآینده‎ (fa) (barāyande), طالع‎ (fa) (tāle) Portuguese: ascendente (pt)

Surpassing or controlling

Bulgarian: господствуващ (bg) (gospodstvuvašt) Finnish: nousussa oleva Italian: dominante (it) Persian: برآینده‎ (fa) (barāyande)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

French: (please verify) ascendant (fr)

Noun

ascendant (plural ascendants)

1. Being in control; superiority, or commanding influence; ascendancy.

   One man has the ascendant over another.

   • 1672, William Temple, “An Essay upon the Original and Nature of Government. […]”, in Miscellanea. The First Part. [...], 3rd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], and Awnsham and John Churchill, […], published 1691, OCLC 1113628240, pages 91–92:

     [T]he Dominion of ſucceeding Favourites [...] occaſioned perpetual commotions in that State, and changes of the Miniſtry; and would certainly have produced thoſe in the Government too; if [Cardinal] Richelieu having gained the abſolute aſcendant in that Court, had not engaged in the deſigns at firſt of a War upon the Hugonots, and after that was ended, upon Spain; [...]

   • 1769, William Robertson, The History of the Reign of the Emperor Charles V. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] W. and W. Strahan, for W[illiam] Strahan, T[homas] Cadell, […]; and J. Balfour, […], OCLC 1018391497:

     Chievres had acquired over the mind of the young monarch the ascendant not only of a tutor, but of a parent.

2. An ancestor.

   Antonym: descendant

   • 1726, John Ayliffe, Parergon juris canonici Anglicani

     Ascendants and Descendants , are , by the Civil Law , stiled by the Title of Nefarious as well as Incestuous , to shew the Abhorrence that Law has of such kind of Marriages.

3. (usually followed by to) A royal heir assuming (a place of power).

   Given his father’s ghastly demise, one would not expect such glee from the ascendant to his throne.

4. Ascent; height; elevation.
5. (astrology) The horoscope, or that degree of the ecliptic which rises above the horizon at the moment of one's birth; supposed to have a commanding influence on a person's life and fortune.
   • May 26 1795, Edmund Burke, letter to Hercules Langrish

     taught by the jealous ascendants, sometimes by doctrine, sometimes by example, always by provocation.

Translations

being in control

Bulgarian: власт (bg) (vlast), влияние (bg) (vlijanie) Finnish: valta-asemassa oleva

An ancestor

Bulgarian: предшественик (bg) (predšestvenik) Finnish: esi-isä (fi) German: Vorfahr (de) m Italian: ascendente (it) Polish: ascendent (pl) m Portuguese: ascendente (pt) m or f Romanian: strămoș (ro) m, predecesor (ro) m

astrology

Polish: ascendent (pl) m

Related terms

• ascend
• ascent
• ascendance
• ascendancy/ascendency
• ascending
• ascender

Anagrams

• adnascent

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ascendens, ascendentem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.sɑ̃.dɑ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Participle

ascendant

1. present participle of ascendre

Adjective

ascendant (feminine ascendante, masculine plural ascendants, feminine plural ascendantes)

1. ascendant

Derived terms

• compatibilité ascendante

Noun

ascendant m (plural ascendants)

1. (astrology) ascendant
2. supremacy, ascendancy

   L'équipe adverse a repris l'ascendant du match. ― The opposing team regained the supremacy of the match.

3. (genealogy) ancestor, forefather, progenitor

Further reading

• “ascendant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Latin

Verb

ascendant

1. third-person plural present active subjunctive of ascendō