anabasis

/əˈnæbəsɪs/

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀνάβασις (anábasis, “a going up, an ascent”), from ἀναβαίνω (anabaínō), from ᾰ̓νᾰ- (ănă-, “up”) + βαίνω (baínō, “to go”). Compare typologically Proto-West Germanic *raisu (“a travel, journey”) (akin to Proto-Germanic *raizijaną (“to cause (someone, something) to rise; raise”)) (<< Proto-Indo-European *h₁rey- (“to rise, arise”)).

Why this word is great

ANABASIS — [Noun] A military advance inland or upward, especially the expedition of Cyrus the Younger into Asia, or the initial intensification phase of a disease. From Ancient Greek ἀνάβασις (anábasis, "ascent"), from ἀνα- (ana-, "up") + βαίνω (baínō, "to go"). Unlike "catabasis" (which denotes a retreat, a yielding to gravity) or "exodus" (which suggests a flight, a scattering), anabasis is the deliberate, arduous climb—forward, against resistance. It is the mercenaries of Xenophon marching home through hostile mountains, the fever’s sudden spike before crisis, or the stubborn green shoot breaking through cracked pavement—each a testament to the terrible, necessary work of ascent.

noun

A military march up-country, especially that of Cyrus the Younger into Asia.“During the French anabasis to Moscow he entered our service, made himself a prodigious favorite with the whole imperial family, and even now is only in his twenty−second year.”
The first period, or increase, of a disease; augmentation.