assemble 
assemble 1 (a-sein'bl), c. : pret.nnd |>|>. 
h/i'il, i>|ir. nnxi'iiibliiii/. (< Ml'). tiH.ii-iiilili'ii. iixi in- 
hli n, asm-mil n. usi mil n . < ( )F. u.ft nilili r, IIKSI inlili r, 
axsamlilrr = I'r. imxriuhliir, imrinlilar, 11*1 nilur = 
OSp. aneniblitr = It. iixttemhliiri . nx^iinlirin-i .< 
ML. UKuiiuiil'ii'i', bring together tin I-. tin 1 same 
as amiuiiliin : see asxniibli'-), < L. '('/. In. + 
Kimiil, lordlier. Also by njihcrois .-niiililr 1 . 
Ct. assemble'-.] I. trims. 1. lo collect into one 
place or body; brine; or call together; convene ; 
congregate. 
Thither lie iiwnilil'-'l all histrain. Mittini, P. I.., \.7H7. 
2. To fit together. See iisxciiili/iiii/. 2. 3t. To 
join or couple, as one with another, or as in 
sexual intercourse. =Syn. 1. To convene, collect, i - 
^K'4:ite, Illllstcr, convoke. 
II, iiilnniK. 1. To meet or come together; 
convene, as a number of individuals: as, "the 
churls iissfiiilili;'' ]>r//dfii, ^Kncid, vii. 2f. To 
meet in battle; fight.=Syn. 1. To gather, get to- 
gt t her, muster, com vnc. 
assemble't (a-sem'bl), . [< assemble 1 , c. Cf. 
ti.wiiihli/.] An assembly. 
assemble'-'t (a-sem'bl), P. t. [Late ME. assatn- 
lili ; < ( )!'. it xxi miller; cf. Pg. assi-im Ihur, (isnimi- 
Id r = It. iiK.iiiiiii/lidre, resemble; < L. axxiniii- 
larc, assimilarc, make like, consider like, com- 
pare, < ad, to, + nimilis, like (related to si mid. 
together; cf. asxnulilf 1 i : see assimilate. Also 
by apheresis semble-.] 1. To be similar to; 
resemble. 
For the world assenMeth the see. 
Caxtun, Golden Legend, p. 114. (X. K. /).) 
2. To liken or compare. 
Bribes may be assent tilett to pitch. 
iMiiniff, Sermons before Eilw. VI. (Arber), p. 151. 
assembler (a-sem'bler), ii. 1. One who assem- 
bles. 2. Specifically, a workman who assem- 
bles or fits together the different parts of a 
machine, as of a watch. See assembling, 2. 3t. 
One who takes part in an assembly ; a member 
of an assembly. 
assembling (a-sem'bling) n. 1. A collecting 
or meeting together. 
>'ot forsaking the asuemliliiiif of ourselves together, as 
the manner of some Is. Heb. x. Sii. 
2. The act of fitting together parts of ma- 
chines and instruments, such as sewing-ma- 
chines, guns, microscopes, watches, etc., espe- 
cially when duplicate parts are so exactly 
made as to be interchangeable. 
assembling-bolt (a-sem'bling -bolt), n. A 
screw-bolt for holding together the several 
parts of a machine or tool. 
assembly (a-setn'bli), . ; pi. assemblies (-bliz). 
[< ME. assemble, assemblayc, asscmblee, < OF. 
axsemblee, F. assemblee (= Sp. asamblea = Pg. 
assembled), meeting, coming together, < assem- 
bler, meet: see assemble*.] 1. The act of as- 
sembling, or the state of being assembled or 
gathered together. 
A Triennial Bill enforced the assembly of the Houses 
every three years, and bound the sheriffs and citizens to 
proceed to election if the Royal writ failed to summon 
them. J. R. Greene, Short Hist. Eng., p. 524. 
2. A company of persons gathered together in 
the same place, and usually for the same pur- 
pose, whether religious, political, educational, 
or social ; an assemblage. 
At length there issued from the grove !>ehind 
A fair assembly of the female kind. 
Dryiien, Flower and Leaf, 1. 154. 
Another assembly, composed of representatives chosen 
by the people In all parts, gives free access to the whole na- 
tion, and communicates all its wants, knowledge, projects, 
and wishes to government. J. Adams, Works, IV. 288. 
The Popular AssenMy and the Popular Court of Justice 
are in principle the same institution ; they are gatherings 
of the freemen of the community for different public 
purposes. Maine, Early Law and Custom, p. 173. 
3. Specifically () [cnp.] The name given 
to the lower house of the legislature in sev- 
eral of the United States and in some of the 
British colonies. (6) A company of persons 
of both sexes met for dancing ; a ball ; espe- 
cially, a ball the expenses of which are defrayed 
by the subscriptions of those who take part in it. 
Her girls . . . appeared perseveringly at the Winchester 
and Southampton OMmwiM; they penetrated to Cowes 
for the race-balls and regatta-gaieties there. 
Tliarkeray, Vanity Fair, xxxix. 
4. Milit.: (a) The second beating of the drum 
before a march, upon which the soldiers strike 
their tents. (6) A drum-beat or bugle-call to 
bring troops together at an appointed place. 
Lagache . . . thought it best to test the loyalty of the 
OMgOOBA !>>' sounding the ttwiiifilif. 
Quarterly Jteu., CLXIII. 100. 
5t. An assemblage or collection of inanimate 
objects. 
To Venice herself, or to anj .if the little assriiiltlii of 
islands about her. lloii'rtl, letters, i. 1. 
Assembly of Divines at Westminster, commonly .all 
i-d the II '. ':,!<,:,-!' -i- Axiii'tnlitit. a c.'iiv'icati.iit summoned 
l.v the bin-' Parliament to advise for I be .settling of the 
government and the liturgy of tin- church of England. 1 
Most of its memliers were Presliv terians. and nearly all 
were Calvinists. H met .Inly 1,1648, and continued its 
MS- inns till February *!, IIHII. Tbe chief fruits of its la- 
bors were the Director.! of Public Woiship. the I'.mfcs- 
si. in of Faith, and the Larger and Shorter ratechlsms, 
uhi.-li ui re rejected ill Knglalnl, but established in Scot- 
land. Black Assembly, in the I niversitv of Cambridge, 
the great convocation. General Assembly. <> The 
highest ecclesiastical tribunal .if cbiirebesof the I'resbyte 
rian order, meeting annually, and c..mp..seii of mini>t.i- 
and ruling elders delegated by each presbytery vvitliin 
their respective national Uuuidx. (I:) In many of the 
I nil.d States, the i-ollectivt- title of the legislature. (<) 
In New Jersey, the lower bouse .if the legislature. Legis- 
lative Assembly. (") The collective title of the legis- 
lature ill the State of Oregon and the territories of the 
Inited States; also, the title of tbe lower house or of the 
single legislative body in many of the British colonies. (6) 
In French hist., the legislative boilles of 1791-2, 1849-51, as 
distinguished from the National Assembly of 1789-1791. 
National Assembly, in French hist., the first of the 
revolutionary assemblies, in session 1789-1791. The States 
General, elected in 1789, were opened .May 5, 1789, and in 
June the third estate assumed the title of National As- 
sembly and absorbed the two remaining estates. Its chief 
work was the furmati.in of the constitution, whence ft is 
als.i called the Ctinxtittti'iit AHXI'IHO[II, 
assemblyman (a-sem'bli-man), n. ; pi. assem- 
lili/nii -ii (-men). [< assembly "+ man.'} A mem- 
ber of a legislative assembly. [U. S.] 
assembly-room (a-sem'bli-rom), n. A room in 
which persons assemble, especially for dancing. 
See assembly. 
assenH, " An obsolete plural of ass 1 . Chaucer. 
assen' 2 t, An obsolete plural of ash*. 
assent (a-senf), r. [< ME. asxenten, asenten 
(later also by apheresis sente), < OF. asenter, as- 
xen'er (< L. assentari, adsentari. irreg. freq. of 
assentiri), also assentir, F. assentir, < L. awenti- 
re, more frequently deponent, axsentiri, assent 
to, approve, consent, < ad, to, + sent/re, feel, ") E. 
sent, now spelled improp. scent: see scent and 
sense, and cf. consent, dissent, and resent.] I. 'n- 
trans. To admit a proposition as true ; express 
an agreement of the mind to what is alleged or 
proposed ; concur ; acquiesce : with to before 
an object. 
The Jews also assented, saying that these, things were so. 
Acts xxiv. 9. 
We cannot assent to a proposition without some intelli- 
gent apprehension of it ; whereas we need not understand 
it at all In order to infer it. 
J. H. A'emnan, Grain, of Assent, p. 0. 
= Syn. To agree, subscribe. 
II. t trans. To agree to ; approve ; determine. 
Here wyfes wolde it wel assente. 
Chaucer, Oen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 374. 
assent (a-senf), n. [< ME. assent, asent, < as- 
sen ten , dsen ten , the verb : see assen t,v.] 1 . The 
act of the mind in admitting or agreeing to the 
truth of a proposition proposed for acceptance. 
Faith is the assent tn any proposition on the credit of 
the proposer. Locke. 
2. Consent; concurrence; acquiescence; agree- 
ment to a proposal : as, the bill before the house 
has the assent of a great majority of the mem- 
bers. 
Without the king's assent or knowledge, 
Vou wrought to be a legate. Shot., Hen. VIII., ill. 2. 
No parish-business in the place could stir, 
Without direction or assent from her. 
Crabbe, The Parish Register. 
3. Accord ; agreement ; approval. 
Virtue engages his assent, 
But Pleasure wins his heart. 
Cmcper, Human Frailty. 
Too many people read this ribaldry with assent and ad- 
miration. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xx. 
4t. Opinion. 
Thou art oon of his assent. 
Chaucer, Pardoner's Tale, 1. 296. 
Royal assent, in F.ngland, the approbation given by the 
sovereign in Parliament to a bill which has passed both 
houses, after which it becomes law. This assent may be 
given in two ways: (a) In person, when the sovereign conies 
to the House of Peers, the Commons are sent for, and the 
titles of all the hills which have passed are read. The royal 
assent is declared in Norman-"French by the clerk of the 
Parliament. (6) By letters patent under the great seal, 
signed by the sovereign, and notified in his or her absence. 
A money-bill, or bill of supply, passed by the House of 
Commons, is presented by the Speaker for the royal assent. 
= Syn. Assent, Content, Concurrence, Acquiescence, accept- 
ance, adherence. Assent is primarily an act of the under- 
standing : consent is distinctly the act of the will : as, I 
assent to that proposition ; I consent to his going. Bax- 
ter speaks of justifying faith as the assenting trust of the 
understanding and the consenting trust of the will. As- 
sent is not yet altogether excluded from the field of the 
will, but tends to express a feebler action of the will than 
it formerly did, or than consent does. Compare Luke xxiii. 
24 (margin i. "Pilate assented that It should be as they re- 
quired," with the formal consent in the royal assent to a 
assert 
bill. Concurrence is a running of minds in the same chan- 
nel, an agreement in opinion ..r decisi.,n. .1, 
a state or act of quiet submission to a decision, an act, or 
tbe prevalence .it all opinion, because it is near enough 
1. 1 .Hie s wishes, ..I ll.it worth resisting, in imp. issilile t.i re 
sist. lillt nut liecallse it is entire!) acc.-ptuM. . 
.\**<-nt I have des. rilied tu l.e a mental assertion; in iu 
very nature then it is .if tbe mind, ami not i>t tin lips. 
./. //. .\<'ll-niiln. (ilalll. i.f Assent, p. 11. 
If any faction of men will require the ./..-./// an.l - 
.if other men to a vast number of disputable and uninsti 
tilted things, and, it may be, a mathematical lalseli t 
ain.ing the Hist of them, and nttcrh leii.'iin.t all I hi i-tian 
communion with all that shall n.'.t give that ..../,( an.l 
<-'>i<*'-iit, we look HJKIU those to lie separatists; we dare 
not to U' so narrow spirited. 
c. Mutlifi: Mag. < hri., Int. to 111. 
The necessity, under which the jury in placi.l bo 
unanimously, in order to tlnd a verdict, act as the pi. 
disposing cause of r.,,1,-,1, ,;,,,> iii siime < .mini. HI -ipii 
Calhi.ini, Works, I. m. 
The showman rubs his brow impulsively, . . . but final- 
ly, with the inevitable n<-<i<n, -,--.v,,o nt all public servant*. 
resumes bis c.ni|iosnre and goes on. 
Htui'tlinrn:-. Main Street. 
assentantt (a-seu'tant), a. and n. [< ME. nx- 
xi it/limit. < OF. ii.ixcntant, assentant, ppr. of 
assenter: see assent, r., and -ant 1 . Doublet. 
iifixi'iiliciit.] I. a. Assenting; agreeing. 
II. H. One who assents or agrees. 
assentation (as-en-ta'shou), . [< L. axm iitn- 
liii(ii-), flattery, servile assent, < asseiitnn. 
pp. UKXftitdttix, flatter, assent in everything, 
irreg. freq. of assentiri, assent, agree: see an- 
xcnt, t\] The act of assenting; especially, ob- 
sequious assent to the opinion of another; flat- 
tery; adulation. 
It Is a fearful presage of ruin when the prophets con- 
spire In assentation. BJI. Hall, Death of Allah. 
Words smooth and sweeter-sounded are to lie used, 
rather than rough or harsh, as adore for worship, nssen- 
tativn for flattery. 1 nstructwiis fur Oratory (1682), p. 2. f >. 
assentatort (as'en-ta-tor). H. [< L. assentator, 
< assentari, natter: see assentation.] One who 
assents or consents; especially, one who as- 
sents obsequiously ; a flatterer. .Sir T. Elyot. 
assentatorilyt (a-sen'ta-to-ri-li), adv. In the 
manner of an assentator ; with adulation or ob- 
sequiousness. Bacon. 
assentatoryt (a-sen'ta-to-ri), a. [< L. "asseii- 
tatoriujt (implied in adv. axsentatorte), < assen- 
ta tor, a flatterer: see assentator."] Pertaining 
to or characterized by assentation; flattering; 
adulatory. 
assenter (a-sen'ter), n. One who assents. See 
assen tor. 
assentient (a-sen'shient), a. and n. [< L. as- 
sentien(t-)x, ppr. of assentiri, assent: see assent, 
v."] I. a. Assenting; yielding assent. Quar- 
terly Rev. 
II. n. One who assents ; an assenter. North 
British Ret: 
assentingly (a-sen'ting-li), adv. In a manner 
expressing assent ; by agreement. 
assentive (a-sen'tiv), a. [< assent + -ire.] 
Giving assent ; complying. Savage. [Rare.] 
assentmentt (a-sent'meut), w. [< OF. assentt- 
meiit, < ML. axsentimentum, assent, < L. assen- 
tiri, assent : see assent, r., and -went."] Assent ; 
agreement. Sir T. Browne. 
assentor (a-sen'tor), n. [< assent + -or; the 
usual legal form ; cf. assenter.] One who as- 
sents ; specifically, one of the eight voters who 
indorse the nomination, by a proposer and sec- 
onder, of a candidate for election to the Parlia- 
ment of Great Britain and Ireland, as required 
by law. 
assert (a-sert'), v. t. [< L. assertus, pp. (ML. as- 
sertare, freq.) of asserere, adserere, join to, rf- 
screre aliquem manit (or simply adserere) in liber- 
tatem or in sereitutem, declare one free or a 
slave by laying hands upon him, hence free 
from, protect, defend, lay claim to, assert, de- 
clare, < ad, to, + serere, join, range in a row, = 
Gr. flpeiv, bind, fasten: see series and serried.] 
It. To bring (into freedom); set (free). [The 
original Latin use, asserere in libertatem.] 
The people of Israel, Iteing lately oppressed in Egypt, 
were asserted by God into a state of liberty. 
Sp. Patrick, on Num. xxiil. 2. 
2. To vindicate, maintain, or defend by words 
or measures; support the cause or claims of; 
vindicate a claim or title to : now used only of 
immaterial objects or reflexively : as, to assert 
our rights and liberties; he asserted himself 
boldly. 
I could and would myself assert the British from his 
scandalous pen. Fuller. 
Often, in the parting hour, 
Victorious love asserts his power 
O'er coldness and disdain. 
Scott, Marmion, v. 7. 
