ascend
v.v. to move upward or climb to a higher position. You use this when someone goes up a mountain, a staircase, or even a higher rank in a job.
v. to move, climb, or rise upward. In a musical context, refers to a sequence of notes moving from a lower to a higher pitch.
The hikers began to ascend the steep mountain path.
The melody begins to ascend toward a high C, creating a sense of growing tension before the final chorus.
As the aircraft began to ascend through the thick layer of clouds, the turbulence subsided and the passengers were treated to a clear view of the horizon.
From Middle English ascenden, borrowed from Old French ascendre, from Latin ascendō (“to go up, climb up to”), from ad (“to”) + scandō (“to climb”); see scan. Unrelated to accede other than common ad prefix.
The verb can be used both transitively ('ascend the stairs') and intransitively ('the balloon began to ascend').