Ascensive
(As*cen"sive) a. [See Ascend.]
1. Rising; tending to rise, or causing to rise. Owen.
2. (Gram.) Augmentative; intensive. Ellicott.
Ascent
(As*cent") [Formed like descent, as if from a F. ascente, fr. a verb ascendre, fr. L. ascendere.
See Ascend, Descent.]
1. The act of rising; motion upward; rise; a mounting upward; as, he made a tedious ascent; the ascent of
vapors from the earth.
To him with swift ascent he up returned.
Milton.
2. The way or means by which one ascends.
3. An eminence, hill, or high place. Addison.
4. The degree of elevation of an object, or the angle it makes with a horizontal line; inclination; rising
grade; as, a road has an ascent of five degrees.
Ascertain
(As`cer*tain") v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ascertained ; p. pr. & vb. n. Ascertaining.] [OF. acertener;
a (L. ad) + certain. See Certain.]
1. To render (a person) certain; to cause to feel certain; to make confident; to assure; to apprise. [Obs.]
When the blessed Virgin was so ascertained.
Jer. Taylor.
Muncer assured them that the design was approved of by Heaven, and that the Almighty had in a dream
ascertained him of its effects.
Robertson.
2. To make (a thing) certain to the mind; to free from obscurity, doubt, or change; to make sure of; to fix; to
determine. [Archaic]
The divine law . . . ascertaineth the truth.
Hooker.
The very deferring [of his execution] shall increase and ascertain the condemnation.
Jer. Taylor.
The ministry, in order to ascertain a majority . . . persuaded the queen to create twelve new peers.
Smollett.
The mildness and precision of their laws ascertained the rule and measure of taxation.
Gibbon.
3. To find out or learn for a certainty, by trial, examination, or experiment; to get to know; as, to ascertain
the weight of a commodity, or the purity of a metal.
He was there only for the purpose of ascertaining whether a descent on England was practicable.
Macaulay.
Ascertainable
(As`cer*tain"a*ble) a. That may be ascertained. — As`cer*tain"a*ble*ness, n. — As`cer*tain"a*bly,
adv.
Ascertainer
(As`cer*tain"er) n. One who ascertains.
Ascertainment
(As`cer*tain"ment) n. The act of ascertaining; a reducing to certainty; a finding out by
investigation; discovery.
The positive ascertainment of its limits.
Burke.
