Ascension
/əˈsɛn.ʃən/noun
The act of rising or moving upward, especially the ascent of Christ into heaven in Christian belief.
Did you know?Its deepest ancestor is the Latin climb-root scandere, which also lives on in words like “scan” and “descend,” proving language keeps the ladder hidden in plain sight.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skand-
“to climb or spring upward”
Latin
Latin
scandere
“to climb, mount, or ascend”
Late Latin
Latin
ascensio
“a climbing up, ascent”
Old French
Old French
ascension
“a rising or ascent”
Middle English
English
ascencioun
“an upward movement; the Ascension of Christ”
Modern English
English
ascension
“the act of rising upward; the Ascension”
Explore more surprising origins