Lewis & Short

a-scendo (ads-, Jan; ads- and as-, Müller; as-, other editors), scendi, scensum, 3, v. n. [scando], to ascend, mount up, climb; and in eccl. Lat. simply to go up, to rise, to spring up, grow up (syn.: scando, conscendo, orior, surgo, prodeo).

  1. I. Lit. (opp. descendo; and diff. from escendo, which designates a climbing, mounting upon some high object, and involves the idea of exertion; cf. Oud. ad Caes. B. G. 7, 27; Suet. Caes. 61; Ochsn. Ecl. pp. 287 and 288; Doed. Syn. IV. pp. 60 and 61; it often interchanges with escendere in MSS.; cf. e. g. Halm ad Nep. Epam. 4, 5; id. Them. 8, 6, and v. examples below; class.; in Cic. and in Vulg. very freq.), constr. most freq. with in, but also with ad with super, supra, contra, adversus, with acc., and absol. (in Cic. in the lit. signif., except once with the acc., always with in with acc.; but in the trop. signif. in all constrr.).
          1. (α) With in with acc.: in navem ascendere, Plaut. Rud. 2, 2, 20; 2, 6, 54 Fleck.: ascendere in naviculam, Vulg. Matt. 8, 23: in triremem ascendit, Nep. Alcib. 4, 3 (in id. Epam. 4, 5, and Them. 8, 6 Halm now reads escendere): in arborem ascendere, Vulg. Luc. 19, 4: ut in Amanum (urbem) ascenderem, Cic. Fam. 15, 4, 8: ascende in oppidum, Vulg. Jos. 8, 1: lex peregrinum vetat in murum ascendere, Cic. de Or. 2, 24, 100: in equum, id. Sen. 10, 34: in caelum, id. Am. 23, 88; so id. Tusc. 1, 29, 71 (B. and K., escendere); id. Dom. 28, 75; id. Mil. 35, 97 (cf. id. Leg. 2, 8: ascensus in caelum): inque plagas caeli, Ov. M. 11, 518: cavete, ne ascendatis in montem, Vulg. Exod. 19, 12; 24, 13; ib. Matt. 5, 1; ib. Marc. 3, 13: in tribunal ascendere, Cic. Vatin. 14, 34 (B. and K., escendere); so Liv. 2, 28 Drak. (Weissenb., escendere): in contionem, Cic. Att. 4, 2, 3 (B. and K., escendit); so Liv. 3, 49; 5, 50 (Weissenb., escendere, in both these pass.): in Capitolium ascendere, id. 10, 7: sin vestram ascendisset in urbem, Verg. A. 2, 192.
          2. (β) With ad. ad Gitanas Epiri oppidum, Liv. 42, 38: ad laevam paulatim, Sall. C. 55, 3.
          3. (γ) With acc. or loc. adv.: navem ascendit, Ter. Ad. 4, 5, 69; Phaedr. 4, 22, 9; Vulg. Marc. 4, 1; ib. Luc. 8, 37: ascendit classem, Tac. A. 2, 75: montīs cum ascendimus altos, Lucr. 6, 469: montem, Juv. 1, 82, and Vulg. Psa. 103, 8; cf.: summum jugum montis ascendere, Caes. B. G. 1, 21: fastigia montis anheli, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 383: altitudinem montium, Vulg. Isa. 37, 24: currus, Lucr. 5, 1301 (Lachm., escendere); so Vulg. 3 Reg. 12, 13: adversam ripam, Cic. Div. 1, 28, 58: murum, Caes. B. G. 7, 27; so Verg. A. 9, 507, and Vulg. Jer. 5, 10: equum, Liv. 23, 14; so Suet. Caes. 61, and Vulg. Psa. 75, 7: ascendit Capitolium ad lumina, Suet. Caes. 37: deus adscensurus, Olympum, Tib. 4, 1, 12: magnum iter ascendo, Prop. 4, 10, 3: illuc solita est ascendere filia Nisi, Ov. M. 8, 17; 11, 394: quo simul ascendit, id. ib. 7, 220.
            Also pass.: si mons erat ascendendus, Caes. B. C. 1, 79: primus gradus ascendatur, Vitr. 3, 3: porticus adscenduntur nonagenis gradibus, Plin. 36, 13, 19, § 88 (Jan, descenduntur): ascenso simul curru, Suet. Tib. 2 fin.: ne ascensis tanti sit gloria Bactris, Prop 4, 3, 63.
          4. (δ) Absol., of persons ex locis superioribus desuper suos ascendentes protegebant, Caes. B. C. 1, 79: quā fefellerat ascendens hostis, Liv. 5, 47: Ascendit ergo Abram de Aegypto, Vulg. Gen. 13, 1; 19, 30: Ascende huc, ib. Apoc. 4, 1; 12, 12.
            Of things: fons ascendebat de terrā, Vulg. Gen. 2, 6: sicut ascendit mare fluctu, ib. Ezech. 26, 3: jam ascendit aurora, ib. Gen. 32, 26’ ascendit ignis de petrā, ib. Jud. 6, 21: ascendet fumus ejus, ib. Isa. 34, 10; ib. Apoc. 8, 4: vidit ascendentem favillam de terrā, ib. Gen. 19, 28: ascendet sicut virgultum, ib. Isa. 53, 2; 5, 6: germen eorum, ut pulvis, ascendet, ib. ib. 5, 24.
            Also, after the Greek, to go aboard ship, to go out to sea (eccl. Lat.): ascendentes navigavimus, ἐπιβάντες, Vulg. Act. 21, 2: Et ascenderunt, ἀνήχθησαν, ib. Luc. 8, 22.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. Constr in like manner,
          1. (α) With in with acc.: in summum locum civitatis ascendere, Cic. Clu. 55: propter quem (ornatum) ascendit in tantum honorem eloquentia, has grown into such reputation, id. Or. 36, 125: ira ascendit in Israel, Vulg. Psa. 77, 21: Quid cogitationes ascendunt in corda vestra? ib. Luc. 24, 38; ib. Act. 7, 23.
          2. (β) With ad: sic a principiis ascendit motus et exit paulatim nostros ad sensus, Lucr. 2, 137: aut a minoribus ad majora ascendimus aut a majoribus ad minora delabimur, Cic. Part. Or. 4, 12: propius ad magnitudinem alicujus, Plin. Pan. 61, 2: ad honores, Cic. Brut. 68, 241: ad hunc gradum amicitiae, Curt. 7, 1, 14.
          3. (γ) With super with acc.: ira Dei ascendit super eos, Vulg. Psa. 77, 31: ascendent sermones super cor tuum, ib. Ezech. 38, 10.
          4. (δ) With acc.: ex honoribus continuis familiae unum gradum dignitatis ascendere, Cic. Mur. 27: altiorem gradum, id. Off. 2, 18, 62: cum, quem tenebat, ascenderat gradum, Nep. Phoc. 2, 3: altissimum (gradum), Plin. Ep. 3, 2, 4.
            Poet.: ascendere thalamum, i. e. matrimonium contrahere, Val. Fl. 6, 45.
            (ε) Absol.: ad summam amplitudinem pervenisset, ascendens gradibus magistratuum, Cic. Brut. 81, 281; Plin. Pan. 58, 3: altius ascendere, Brut. ap. Cic. Ep. ad Brut. 1, 4: gradatim ascendit vox, rises, Cic. de Or. 3, 61, 227: usque ad nos contemptus Samnitium pervenit, supra non ascendit, i. e. alios non tetigit, Liv. 7, 30: donec ascenderit furor Domini, Vulg. 2 Par. 36, 16: ascendet indignatio mea, ib. Ezech. 38, 18.
    2. B. Esp., super, supra aliquem or aliquid ascendere, to rise above any person or thing, to surpass, to stand higher (twice in Tacitus): (liberti) super ingenuos et super nobiles ascendunt, Tac. G. 25: mihi supra tribunatus et praeturas et consulatus ascendere videor, id. Or. 7.
      Hence, ascen-dens (ads-), entis, P. a.
    1. * A. Machina, a machine for ascending, a scaling-ladder, Vitr. 10, 19.
    2. B. In the jurists, ascendentes are the kindred in an ascending line, ancestors (parents, grandparents, etc.; opp. descendentes, descendants, children, grandchildren, etc.), Dig. 23, 2, 68.