'ascescent' originates from Latin, specifically from the present-participle stem 'ascens-' (from 'ascendere'), where 'ad-' (later assimilated to 'as-') meant 'to' or 'toward' and 'scandere' meant 'to climb.'

'ascescent' developed via Late Latin/Medieval Latin forms such as 'ascensens'/'ascendent-' and was formed in English by back-formation or borrowing alongside related words like 'ascent' and 'ascend.'

Initially it meant 'climbing or rising' in the literal sense, and over time it has retained that core meaning but can be used figuratively to describe things that increase or progress upward.