ascender

noun

as·cend·er ə-ˈsen-dər

ˈa-ˌsen-

: the part of a lowercase letter (such as b) that rises above the main body of the letter

also : a letter that has such a part

: a device used for climbing rope that slides freely in one direction and grips the rope when pulled in the opposite direction

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web There's another problem with this ascender and its battery. —

Wired, 24 July 2022 The lander will dig for materials with its drill and robotic arm and transfer them to the ascender, which will lift off from the moon and dock with the service capsule. —

Sam Mcneil, USA TODAY, 23 Nov. 2020 The ascender will then take off, re-enter orbit, and dock with the orbiter-returner. —

Jessie Yeung, CNN, 24 Nov. 2020 Flying a Chinese flag, the moon lander stopped functioning soon after it was used as a launching pad for the ascender, which was ejected from the orbiter after transferring the samples and came to rest on the moon’s surface. —

orlandosentinel.com, 16 Dec. 2020 The spacecraft is made up of an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). —

Jessie Yeung, CNN, 24 Nov. 2020 Plans call for the upper stage of the probe known as the ascender to be launched back into lunar orbit to transfer the samples to a capsule for return to Earth. —

Fox News, 4 Dec. 2020 The landing of Chang'e 5's descender and ascender unit. —

Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 2 Dec. 2020 At that stage, the samples will be transferred to the returner, and the ascender will separate, leaving the orbiter-returner to start the journey back to Earth. —

Jessie Yeung, CNN, 24 Nov. 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ascender.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.