n.
Pronunciation: ə - ' sent, a-
Function: noun
Etymology: irregular from ascend
Date: circa 1596
1 a : the act of rising or mounting upward : CLIMB b : an upward slope or rising grade : ACCLIVITY c : the degree of elevation : INCLINATION , GRADIENT
2 : an advance in social status or reputation : PROGRESS
3 : a going back in time or upward in order of genealogical succession