to be in the ascendant

1 definition found

to be in the ascendant - 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