from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Ascendant \As*cend"ant\, n. [F. ascendant, L. ascendens; p. pr.
of ascendere.]
1. Ascent; height; elevation. [R.]
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Sciences that were then in their highest ascendant.
--Temple.
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2. (Astrol.) 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.
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Note: Hence the phrases
{To be in the ascendant}, to have commanding power or
influence, and
{Lord of the ascendant}, one who has possession of such power
or influence; as, to rule, for a while, lord of the
ascendant. --Burke.
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3. Superiority, or commanding influence; ascendency; as, one
man has the ascendant over another.
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Chievres had acquired over the mind of the young
monarch the ascendant not only of a tutor, but of a
parent. --Robertson.
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4. An ancestor, or one who precedes in genealogy or degrees
of kindred; a relative in the ascending line; a
progenitor; -- opposed to {descendant}. --Ayliffe.
[1913 Webster] Ascendant