Assay noun [ Old French asai , essai , trial, French essa . See Essay , noun ]
1. Trial; attempt; essay. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

I am withal persuaded that it may prove much more easy in the assay than it now seems at distance.
Milton.

2. Examination and determination; test; as, an assay of bread or wine. [ Obsolete]

This can not be, by no assay of reason.
Shak.

3. Trial by danger or by affliction; adventure; risk; hardship; state of being tried. [ Obsolete]

Through many hard assays which did betide.
Spenser.

4. Tested purity or value. [ Obsolete]

With gold and pearl of rich assay .
Spenser.

5. (Metallurgy) The act or process of ascertaining the proportion of a particular metal in an ore or alloy; especially, the determination of the proportion of gold or silver in bullion or coin.

6. The alloy or metal to be assayed. Ure.

Assay and essay are radically the same word; but modern usage has appropriated assay chiefly to experiments in metallurgy, and essay to intellectual and bodily efforts. See Essay .

» Assay is used adjectively or as the first part of a compound; as, assay balance, assay furnace.

Assay master , an officer who assays or tests gold or silver coin or bullion. -- Assay ton , a weight of 29,166⅔ grams.

Assay transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Assayed ; present participle & verbal noun Assaying .] [ Old French asaier , essaier , French essayer , from essai . See Assay , noun , Essay , v. ]
1. To try; to attempt; to apply. [ Obsolete or Archaic]

To-night let us assay our plot.
Shak.

Soft words to his fierce passion she assayed .
Milton.

2. To affect. [ Obsolete]

When the heart is ill assayed .
Spenser.

3. To try tasting, as food or drink. [ Obsolete]

4. To subject, as an ore, alloy, or other metallic compound, to chemical or metallurgical examination, in order to determine the amount of a particular metal contained in it, or to ascertain its composition.

Assay intransitive verb To attempt, try, or endeavor. [ Archaic. In this sense essay is now commonly used.]

She thrice assayed to speak.
Dryden.

Assay pound A small standard weight used in assaying bullion, etc., sometimes equaling 0.5 gram, but varying with the assayer.

Assay ton A weight of 29.166 + grams used in assaying, for convenience. Since it bears the same relation to the milligram that a ton of 2000 avoirdupois pounds does to the troy ounce, the weight in milligrams of precious metal obtained from an assay ton of ore gives directly the number of ounces to the ton.

Assayable adjective That may be assayed.

Assayer noun One who assays. Specifically: One who examines metallic ores or compounds, for the purpose of determining the amount of any particular metal in the same, especially of gold or silver.

Assaying noun The act or process of testing, esp. of analyzing or examining metals and ores, to determine the proportion of pure metal.

Asse noun (Zoology) A small foxlike animal ( Vulpes cama ) of South Africa, valued for its fur.

Assecuration noun [ Late Latin assecuratio , from assecurare .] Assurance; certainty. [ Obsolete]

Assecure transitive verb [ Late Latin assecurare .] To make sure or safe; to assure. [ Obsolete] Hooker.

Assecution noun [ French assécution , from Latin assequi to obtain; ad + sequi to follow.] An obtaining or acquiring. [ Obsolete] Ayliffe.

Assegai noun Same as Assagai .

Assemblage noun [ Confer French assemblage . See Assemble .]
1. The act of assembling, or the state of being assembled; association.

In sweet assemblage every blooming grace.
Fenton.

2. A collection of individuals, or of individuals, or of particular things; as, a political assemblage ; an assemblage of ideas.

Syn. -- Company; group; collection; concourse; gathering; meeting; convention. Assemblage , Assembly . An assembly consists only of persons; an assemblage may be composed of things as well as persons, as, an assemblage of incoherent objects. Nor is every assemblage of persons an assembly ; since the latter term denotes a body who have met, and are acting, in concert for some common end, such as to hear, to deliberate, to unite in music, dancing, etc. An assemblage of skaters on a lake, or of horse jockeys at a race course, is not an assembly , but might be turned into one by collecting into a body with a view to discuss and decide as to some object of common interest.

Assemblance noun [ Confer Old French assemblance .]
1. Resemblance; likeness; appearance. [ Obsolete]

Care I for the . . . stature, bulk, and big assemblance of a man? Give me the spirit.
Shak.

2. An assembling; assemblage. [ Obsolete]

To weete [ know] the cause of their assemblance .
Spenser.

Assemble transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Assembled ; present participle & verbal noun Assembling ] [ French assembler , from Late Latin assimulare to bring together to collect; Latin ad + simul together; akin to similis like, Greek ... at the same time, and English same . Confer Assimilate , Same .] To collect into one place or body; to bring or call together; to convene; to congregate.

Thither he assembled all his train.
Milton.

All the men of Israel assembled themselves.
1 Kings viii. 2.

Assemble intransitive verb To meet or come together, as a number of individuals; to convene; to congregate. Dryden.

The Parliament assembled in November.
W. Massey.

Assemble transitive verb To collect and put together the parts of; as, to assemble a bicycle, watch, gun, or other manufactured article.

Assembler noun One who assembles a number of individuals; also, one of a number assembled.

Assembly noun ; plural Assemblies [ French assemblée , from assembler . See Assemble .]
1. A company of persons collected together in one place, and usually for some common purpose, esp. for deliberation and legislation, for worship, or for social entertainment.

2. A collection of inanimate objects. [ Obsolete] Howell.

3. (Mil.) A beat of the drum or sound of the bugle as a signal to troops to assemble.

» In some of the United States, the legislature, or the popular branch of it, is called the Assembly , or the General Assembly . In the Presbyterian Church, the General Assembly is the highest ecclesiastical tribunal, composed of ministers and ruling elders delegated from each presbytery; as, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, or of Scotland.

Assembly room , a room in which persons assemble, especially for dancing. -- Unlawful assembly (Law) , a meeting of three or more persons on a common plan, in such a way as to cause a reasonable apprehension that they will disturb the peace tumultuously. -- Westminster Assembly , a convocation, consisting chiefly of divines, which, by act of Parliament, assembled July 1, 1643, and remained in session some years. It framed the "Confession of Faith," the "Larger Catechism," and the "Shorter Catechism," which are still received as authority by Presbyterians, and are substantially accepted by Congregationalists.

Syn. -- See Assemblage .

Assemblyman (ăs*sĕm"blȳ*m a n) noun ; plural Assemblymen (- m e n). A member of an assembly, especially of the lower branch of a state legislature.

Assent transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Assented ; present participle & verbal noun Assenting .] [ French assentir , Latin assentire , assentiri ; ad + sentire to feel, think. See Sense .] To admit a thing as true; to express one's agreement, acquiescence, concurrence, or concession.

Who informed the governor . . . And the Jews also assented , saying that these things were so.
Acts xxiv. 9.

The princess assented to all that was suggested.
Macaulay.

Syn. -- To yield; agree; acquiesce; concede; concur.

Assent noun [ Middle English assent , from assentir . See Assent , v. ] The act of assenting; the act of the mind in admitting or agreeing to anything; concurrence with approval; consent; agreement; acquiescence.

Faith is the assent to any proposition, on the credit of the proposer.
Locke.

The assent , if not the approbation, of the prince.
Prescott.

Too many people read this ribaldry with assent and admiration.
Macaulay.

Royal assent , in England, the assent of the sovereign to a bill which has passed both houses of Parliament, after which it becomes law.

Syn. -- Concurrence; acquiescence; approval; accord. -- Assent , Consent . Assent is an act of the understanding, consent of the will or feelings. We assent to the views of others when our minds come to the same conclusion with theirs as to what is true, right, or admissible. We consent when there is such a concurrence of our will with their desires and wishes that we decide to comply with their requests. The king of England gives his assent , not his consent , to acts of Parliament, because, in theory at least, he is not governed by personal feelings or choice, but by a deliberate, judgment as to the common good. We also use assent in cases where a proposal is made which involves but little interest or feeling. A lady may assent to a gentleman's opening the window; but if he offers himself in marriage, he must wait for her consent .

Assentation noun [ Latin assentatio . See Assent , v.] Insincere, flattering, or obsequious assent; hypocritical or pretended concurrence.

Abject flattery and indiscriminate assentation degrade as much as indiscriminate contradiction and noisy debate disgust.
Ld. Chesterfield.

Assentator noun [ Latin , from assentari to assent constantly.] An obsequious; a flatterer. [ R.]

Assentatory adjective Flattering; obsequious. [ Obsolete] -- As*sent"a*to*ri*ly , adverb [ Obsolete]

Assenter noun One who assents.

Assentient adjective Assenting.

Assenting adjective Giving or implying assent. -- As*sent"ing*ly , adverb

Assentive adjective Giving assent; of the nature of assent; complying. -- As*sent"ive*ness , noun

Assentment noun Assent; agreement. [ Obsolete]

Assert transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Asserted ; present participle & verbal noun Asserting .] [ Latin assertus , past participle of asserere to join or fasten to one's self, claim, maintain; ad + serere to join or bind together. See Series .]
1. To affirm; to declare with assurance, or plainly and strongly; to state positively; to aver; to asseverate.

Nothing is more shameful . . . than to assert anything to be done without a cause.
Ray.

2. To maintain; to defend. [ Obsolete or Archaic]

That . . . I may assert Eternal Providence,
And justify the ways of God to men.
Milton.

I will assert it from the scandal.
Jer. Taylor.

3. To maintain or defend, as a cause or a claim, by words or measures; to vindicate a claim or title to; as, to assert our rights and liberties.

To assert one's self , to claim or vindicate one's rights or position; to demand recognition.

Syn. -- To affirm; aver; asseverate; maintain; protest; pronounce; declare; vindicate. -- To Assert , Affirm , Maintain , Vindicate . To assert is to fasten to one's self, and hence to claim . It is, therefore, adversative in its nature. We assert our rights and privileges, or the cause of tree institutions, as against opposition or denial. To affirm is to declare as true. We assert boldly; we affirm positively. To maintain is to uphold, and insist upon with earnestness, whatever we have once asserted; as, to maintain one's cause, to maintain an argument, to maintain the ground we have taken. To vindicate is to use language and measures of the strongest kind, in defense of ourselves and those for whom we act. We maintain our assertions by adducing proofs, facts, or arguments; we are ready to vindicate our rights or interests by the utmost exertion of our powers.

Asserter noun One who asserts; one who avers pr maintains; an assertor.

The inflexible asserter of the rights of the church.
Milman.

Assertion noun [ Latin assertio , from asserere .]
1. The act of asserting, or that which is asserted; positive declaration or averment; affirmation; statement asserted; position advanced.

There is a difference between assertion and demonstration.
Macaulay.

2. Maintenance; vindication; as, the assertion of one's rights or prerogatives.

Assertive adjective Positive; affirming confidently; affirmative; peremptory.

In a confident and assertive form.
Glanvill.

Assertor noun [ Latin , from asserere .] One who asserts or avers; one who maintains or vindicates a claim or a right; an affirmer, supporter, or vindicator; a defender; an asserter.

The assertors of liberty said not a word.
Macaulay.

Faithful assertor of thy country's cause.
Prior.

Assertorial adjective Asserting that a thing is ; -- opposed to problematical and apodeictical .

Assertory adjective [ Latin assertorius , from asserere .] Affirming; maintaining.

Arguments . . . assertory , not probatory.
Jer. Taylor.

An assertory , not a promissory, declaration.
Bentham.

A proposition is assertory , when it enounces what is known as actual.
Sir W. Hamilton.

Assess transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Assessed ; present participle & verbal noun Assessing .] [ Old French assesser to regulate, settle, Late Latin assessare to value for taxation, from Latin assidere , supine as if assessum , to sit by, esp. of judges in a court, in Late Latin to assess, tax. Confer Assize , v. , Cess .]
1. To value; to make a valuation or official estimate of for the purpose of taxation.

2. To apportion a sum to be paid by (a person, a community, or an estate), in the nature of a tax, fine, etc.; to impose a tax upon (a person, an estate, or an income) according to a rate or apportionment.

3. To determine and impose a tax or fine upon (a person, community, estate, or income); to tax; as, the club assessed each member twenty-five cents.

4. To fix or determine the rate or amount of.

This sum is assessed and raised upon individuals by commissioners in the act.
Blackstone.

Assessable adjective Liable to be assessed or taxed; as, assessable property.

Assessee noun One who is assessed.

Assession noun [ Latin assessio , from assid...re to sit by or near; ad + sed...re to sit. See Sit .] A sitting beside or near.

Assessment noun [ Late Latin assessamentum .]
1. The act of assessing; the act of determining an amount to be paid; as, an assessment of damages, or of taxes; an assessment of the members of a club.

2. A valuation of property or profits of business, for the purpose of taxation; such valuation and an adjudging of the proper sum to be levied on the property; as, an assessment of property or an assessment on property.

» An assessment is a valuation made by authorized persons according to their discretion, as opposed to a sum certain or determined by law. It is a valuation of the property of those who are to pay the tax, for the purpose of fixing the proportion which each man shall pay. Blackstone. Burrill.

3. The specific sum levied or assessed.

4. An apportionment of a subscription for stock into successive installments; also, one of these installments (in England termed a "call"). [ U. S.]

Assessor noun [ Latin , one who sits beside, the assistant of a judge, from assid...re . See Assession . Late Latin , one who arranges of determines the taxes, from assid...re . See Assess , v. , and confer Cessor .]
1. One appointed or elected to assist a judge or magistrate with his special knowledge of the subject to be decided; as legal assessors , nautical assessors . Mozley & W.

2. One who sits by another, as next in dignity, or as an assistant and adviser; an associate in office.

Whence to his Son,
The assessor of his throne, he thus began.
Milton.

With his ignorance, his inclinations, and his fancy, as his assessors in judgment.
I. Taylor.

3. One appointed to assess persons or property for the purpose of taxation. Bouvier.

Assessorial adjective [ Confer French assessorial , from Latin assessor .] Of or pertaining to an assessor, or to a court of assessors. Coxe.

Assessorship noun The office or function of an assessor.

Asset noun Any article or separable part of one's assets.

Assets noun plural [ Old French asez enough, French assez , from Latin ad + satis , akin to Greek ... enough, Goth. saps full. Confer Assai , Satisfy .]
1. (Law) (a) Property of a deceased person, subject by law to the payment of his debts and legacies; - - called assets because sufficient to render the executor or administrator liable to the creditors and legatees, so far as such goods or estate may extend. Story. Blackstone. (b) Effects of an insolvent debtor or bankrupt, applicable to the payment of debts.

2. The entire property of all sorts, belonging to a person, a corporation, or an estate; as, the assets of a merchant or a trading association; -- opposed to liabilities .

» In balancing accounts the assets are put on the Cr. side and the debts on the Dr. side.

Assever transitive verb [ Confer Old French asseverer , from Latin asseverare .] See Asseverate . [ Archaic]

Asseverate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Asseverated ; present participle & verbal noun Asseverating ] [ Latin asseveratus , past participle of asseverare to assert seriously or earnestly; ad + severus . See Severe .] To affirm or aver positively, or with solemnity.

Syn. -- To affirm; aver; protest; declare. See Affirm .

Asseveration noun [ Latin asseveratio .] The act of asseverating, or that which is asseverated; positive affirmation or assertion; solemn declaration.

Another abuse of the tongue I might add, -- vehement asseverations upon slight and trivial occasions.
Ray.