definition of
ascendant

[1] #1 ascendant n. [ascendent] position or state of being dominant or in control; "that idea was in the ascendant". wn

[2] #2 ascendant s. [ascendent, ascensive] tending or directed upward; "rooted and ascendant strength like that of foliage"- John Ruskin. wn

[3] #3 ascendant n. [ancestor, ascendent, antecedent, root] someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent). wn

[4] #4 ascendant s. [ascendent, dominating] most powerful or important or influential; "the economically ascendant class"; "D-day is considered the dominating event of the war in Europe". wn