asseverative 
asseverative (a-sev'er-fi-tiv), a. [<.,...,,,.,..,. 
+ -ice.] Pertaining to or characterized by 
asseveration. 
Jean Thompson looked at bis wife, whose applause he 
Kri/.ed. anil she answered by an ti**rr/'ratire toss of the 
ead. G. W. Cable, old Creole Days, p. 71. 
asseveratory (a-scv'er-a-to-ri), a. [< asxi-i-i-i-- 
ii li- + -unj.] Of the nature of an asseveration ; 
solemnly or positively affirming or averring. 
After divers warm indOMMMratoryMMmn made by Mr. 
Atkins, the captain slopped short in his walk. 
I!I:,,:T Xnrlli. Kxamen, p. 247. 
ass-head (iis'hed), . One who is dull, like the 
ass ; one slow of apprehension ; a blockhead. 
Will you belli au <rs.v-/i''r/, and a emriimli. and a knave .' 
a thin-faced knave, a null? Xluik,, T. N., v. 1. 
assibilate (a-sib'i-lat), r. t.\ pret. and pp. assib- 
ilnli'il, p|ir. iixxihilatiiiij. [< L. "axsibilatiis, pp. 
of axxiliilurf, whisper at or to, < ail, to, + sibi- 
litri', whisper: see xilnlant. The E. sense of 
axsibilatf depends on that of sibilant.] To ren- 
der sibilant, as a sound ; change into a sibilant 
or hissing sound; alter, as a sound, by the 
phonetic process called assibilation. The term 
may tie applied to the whole word so affected : as, clnin-h 
is an axxihilnfi'tt form of kirk. 
assibilation (u-sib-i-la'shon), n. [< assibilate.] 
The act of making sibilant; specifically, in 
jtliilol., the change of a dental or guttural (or a 
labial) mute into a sibilant (s, z, sh, ah, eh = txli, 
j = dzh), or into a sound approaching that of a 
sibilant, as for instance a palatal. This change 
usually results from a tendency to accommodate the mute 
to an immediately succeeding e, i, or ;/ sound. Thus, ( in 
the Latin natio becomes z( ts) in the Italian nazione, and 
is pronounced * in the French nation and sh in the English 
nation. Similarly, the English t approaches or assumes 
the sound of ch before the i/-sound contained in long u in 
nature, virtue, etc. 
Assidean (as-i-de'an), . [Also Assidtean, Asi- 
licean; < ML. Assidei (confused with L. assidui, 
as if 'assiduous, zealous'), prop. Asidan, < Gr. 
'MiSaiot, repr. Heb. hasidini, lit. pious ones (usu- 
ally translated "saints" in the English Bible), 
< hdsad (initial heth), bo pious. The form Chasi- 
dean is approximated to the Heb.] 1. One of a 
sect of orthodox Jews, opposed to Greek innova- 
tions. They were among the first to join Mattathias, the 
father of the Maccabees, in defending the purity of their 
religion and the liberties of their country. 
2. One of a mystical sect of Polish Jews which 
originated in the eighteenth century. 
Also called Chasidean. 
assident (as'i-dent), a. [< L. O8siden(t-)n, ppr. 
of assidere, sit by or near, < ad, to, -t- sedere = 
E. sit. See assess and assiduous.] Accompany- 
ing; concomitant. Assident or accessory signs 
or symptoms, in pathol., signs or symptoms such as usu- 
ally, though not invariably, attend a disease : distinguished 
from pathiiftnomic signs, which always attend it. 
assiduatet (a-sid'u-at), . [< LL. 'assiduatus, 
pp. of ansiduare, apply constantly, < L. assiduus, 
assiduous: see assiduous.] Constant; contin- 
ual; assiduous. 
By love's assiduate care and industry. 
Middleton, Micro-Cynicon, i. 3. 
assiduity (as-i-du'i-ti), n.; pi. assiduities (-tiz). 
[= F. assiduite", < L. assiduita(t-)s, < assiduus: 
see assiduous.] 1. Constant or close applica- 
tion to any business or occupation ; diligence. 
I have, with much pains and assiduity, qualified myself 
for a nomenclator. Addison. 
By marvellous assiduity, he [Pickering] was able to lead 
two lives, one producing the fruits of earth, the other 
those of immortality. Sumner, Orations, I. 140. 
2. Solicitous care of a person or persons ; con- 
stant personal attention : usually in the plural. 
Far from their native home, no tender assiduities of 
friendship . . . relieve their thirst, or close their eyes in 
death. R. Hall, Modern Infidelity. 
Hence 3f. Sycophantic attention ; servility. 
The obsequiousness and assiduity of the court. 
Sir R. Saunton, Fragmenta Reg. (1808), p. 229. 
= Syn. 1. Industry, Assiduity, Application, Diligence, 
Constancy, Perseverance, Persistence, care, attention, 
watchfulness, sedulousness, patience. Diligence in labor 
often conveys the idea of quickness. Industry keeps at 
work, leaving no time idle. Assiduity (literally, a sitting 
down to work) sticks quietly to a particular task, with the 
determination to succeed in spite of ito difficulty, or to get 
it done in spite of its length. Application, literally, bends 
itself to its work, and is, more specifically than assiduity, 
a steady concentration of one's powers of body and mi nil : 
as, he was a man of extraordinary powers of application ; 
Newton attributed all his own success to application. Dili- 
gence is, literally, fondness for one's work, and so, by a 
natural transfer, industry that is alert. Constancy is the 
power to continue unchanged, as in affection, or to hold 
on in any particular course or work ; it goes more deeply 
into character than the others. Perseverance suggests ob- 
stacles from without or within which are steadily met, 
and is morally neutral. Persistence may be good, but It 
is more often au evil perseverance, as obstinacy or a de- 
termination to carry one's point against unwillingness or 
refusal on the part of others. We speak of plodding in- 
347 
itnittni, patient anniilin'/j/, steady application, great ilili- 
unshaken <-i<*t<iti<-u, undaunted perseverance, per- 
< that will not take \o for an answer. 
He [Richardson] advanced rapidly by iii'liit{i/ and good 
conduct, was taken into partnership, and ultimately be- 
rarne the head of an extensive Inisim >s. 
Wrhh, Eng. Lit., II. Hil. 
He was distinguished among his fellow studenU ... by 
the assiduity with which he often prolonged his studies far 
into the night. Maeaulay, Addison. 
A man of judgment and ti/tjilii-ntiun will succeed iiicmii 
parably better in composing the Tables to his own writ- 
ings than a stranger ran. !:<>,//, . 
(tilifiem-> anil accuracy are the only merits which an 
historical writer may ascribe to himself. liiMnm. 
The careful search . . . 
Is made with all 'in-- .///// ;/<_ 
Skat.', Pericles, iii. (cho.). 
True constancy no time, no power can move. Gray. 
All the performances of human art, at which we look 
with praise or wonder, are instances of the resistless force 
< if i>''rseocrance. ./"A/ixo/i, Kanibler, No. 1:1. 
Kull-arni'd upon his charger all day long 
Sat by the walls, and no one opeu'd to him. 
And this persistence turn'd her scorn to wrath. 
Tennyson, Pelleas and Ettarre. 
assiduous (a-sid'u-us), . [< L. assiduus, sit- 
ting down to, "constantly occupied, unremit- 
ting, < assidere, sit at or near : see assident.] 1 . 
Constant in application ; attentive ; devoted : 
as, a person assiduous in his occupation; an 
assiduous physician or nurse. 
The most assidumts tale-hearers . . . are often half- 
witted. Government of the Tongue. 
2. Constant ; unremitting : applied to actions. 
In some places the deep sand could with difficulty be 
forced by assiduous tillage to yield thin crops of rye and 
oats. Maeaulay, Frederic the Great. 
To weary him with my assiduous cries. 
Milton, F. L., xi. 810. 
His character, . . as displayed in his works, repays 
Whi, ' - 
the most assiduous study. 
Upple, Ess. and Rev., II. 74. 
= Syn. 1. Sedulous, diligent, active, busy, constant, pa- 
tient, persevering, laborious, unceasing, indefatigable, un- 
tiring. See assiduity. 
assiduously (a-sid u-us-li), adv. In an assidu- 
ous manner; diligently; attentively: with ear- 
nestness and care. 
Many persons have attained a marvellous proficiency in 
falsehood, and tell lies as assiduously as a friar does his 
beads. Whipple, Ess. and Rev., I. 121. 
assiduousness (a-sid'u-us-nes), n. The qual- 
ity of being assiduous ; constant or diligent ap- 
plication. = Syn. See comparison under assiduity. 
assieget, ". t. [< ME. asegen, < OF. aseger, as- 
seger, asegier, F. assieger = Pr. asetjar = Sp. 
asediar = Pg. assediar = It. assediare,< ML. as- 
sediare, besiege, beset, < asscdium, a siege, < L. 
ad, to, by, + -sediiim, as in L. obsidium, a siege 
(ob, before, in front of), < sedere = E. sit. Ct. 
besiege and siege.] To besiege. 
The Orekes . . . the cite long asseaeden. 
Chaucer, Troilus, i. 60. 
On th' other syde, th' amtieged Castles ward 
Their stedfast stouds did mightily maintain- 1 . 
Spenser, F. Q., II. xl. 15. 
assieget, [< assiege, .] A siege. 
Al the asseye of Thebes. Chaucer, Troilus, ii. 107. 
assiegementt, . [< assiege + -ment.] A siege 
or state of siege ; a beleaguering. 
assientist (as-e-en'tist), n. [< Sp. asentista, < 
asiento: see assiento.] One connected with the 
furnishing of slaves by assiento. Bancroft. 
assiento (as-e-en'to), n. [< Sp. asiento, for- 
merly assiento, a seat, seat in a court, a con- 
tract, treaty, < asentar, formerly assentar (= 
Pg. assentar = It. assentare), place in a seat, ad- 
just, make an agreement, < ML. as if "asseden- 
tare, cause to sit, < L. ad, to, + seden(t-)s, ppr. 
of sedere = E. sit.] Formerly, an exclusive 
contract made by Spain with foreign powers or 
merchants for the supply of African slaves to 
its American possessions. The last assiento, held 
by British merchants under the treaty of Utrecht, 1713, 
was abrogated or relinquished in 1750. 
assign (a-sin'), v. t. [< ME. assignen, asignen, 
< OF. assigner, astgner, < L. assignors, mark 
out, appoint, assign, distribute, allot, < ad, to, 
+ signare, mark, < signum, mark, sign: see 
sign.] 1. To set apart; make over by distribu- 
tion or appropriation ; apportion ; allot. 
The priests had a portion assigned them. Gen. xlvii. 22. 
Mr. Buckle's fundamental error lay in the attempt to 
assign distinct parts to elements of human nature that in 
reality cannot be separated. J. Fiske, Evolutionist, p. 217. 
To each [province] was assigned a governor experienced 
in the law who dealt with taxation and finance. 
C. Elton, Orig. of Eng. Hist., p. 336. 
2. To point out ; show ; designate ; specify. 
All as the Dwarfe the way to her assynd. 
Spenser, . Q., I. vii. 28. 
assignation 
It is not easy to </;/< a period more eventful. 
lie QuiHccy. 
With the help of the scale of numbers, then, any as- 
.*"/r"''/ continuous quantity will serve as a standard liy 
which the whole scale of ipiantitics may IK- represented. 
'. K. ClijT'iril. lectures, I. SW. 
3. To give, furnish, or specify : as, to assign a 
reason for anything. 4. To appoint ; select 
for a duty or office : as, the officer nxxignt-il to 
the charge of a military department. 
Knights n**;<in''>t to enforce the oath of peace and the 
hue and cry ap|)ear as early as the year 1 !'.''>. Their des- 
ignation Mainlined seems to prove that they were royal 
nominees and not elected officers ; but their early history 
is obscure. stubii*. Const. Hist, II. 283. 
6. To ascribe ; attribute ; refer. 
There are many causes to which one may assiyn this 
light Infidelity. ' SteeU, Spectator, No. 44*. 
6. In law : (a) To transfer or make over to an- 
other the right one has in any object, as in an 
estate, chose in action, or reversion, especial- 
ly in trust for the security of creditors: rare- 
ly applied to testamentary transfers, (b) To 
snow or set forth with particularity : as, to a- 
sign error in a writ; to assign false judgment, 
(c) To point out or substantiate as a cnarge : 
as, perjury cannot be assigned on an oath taken 
without the jurisdiction of the officer adminis- 
tering it. To assign dower, to allot or portion out 
to a widow the part of land forming her dower therein ; 
to fix the boundaries of the widow's share in an estate. 
To assign In bankruptcy, to transfer property to and 
vest it in assignees for tne benefit of the creditors. = Syn. 
1. Disjjense, Distribute, etc. (see dispense). 3. Adduce, 
Allege, etc. (see adduce) ; to determine, give, name, present. 
assignt (a-sin'), n.l [< assign, v.] 1. Assign- 
ment; appointment. 2. Design; purpose; ob- 
ject. 
He aim'd at high designs, and so attain'd 
The high assigns to wnich his spirit aim'd. 
Fora, Fame's Memorial. 
assign (a-sin'), n. 2 [The same, with loss of the 
final syllable, as assignee, < ME. assigne (three 
syllables), < OF. assigne, prop. pp. of a^signer, 
assign : see assign, v.] 1 . A person to whom the 
property or interest of another is or may be 
transferred : as, a deed to a man and his heirs 
and assigns. 
Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his 
sole assign. Diclcens, Christmas Carol, i. 
The exclusive right of frequenting all the countries that 
might lie found was reserved to them [John Cabot and his 
sons] and to their assiym. Bancroft, Hist. U. S., I. 8. 
[Assign is a broader word than assignee. The assignees of 
a person are usually understood to mean those who take 
immediately from him, by his assignment ; the assigns of 
a person include all who acquire title under his transfer, 
immediately or remotely.] 
2f. A thing pertaining to something else ; an 
appurtenance ; an appendage. [Affected.] 
Six French rapiers and poniards, with their assigns, as 
girdle, hangers, or so. Shale., Hamlet, v. 2. 
assignabillty (a-si-na-bil'i.-ti), . [< assigna- 
ble : see-WZity.J Capability of being assigned. 
assignable (a-si'na-bl), o. [= F. assignable; < 
assign + -able.] 1. Capable of being allotted, 
appointed, or assigned: as, an assignable note 
or bill. 2. Capable of being specified, shown, 
designated, or expressed with precision : as, an 
assignable reason ; an assignable magnitude. 
His [a soldier's] fighting condition was needed not on 
one or two days consecutively, but on many days, and not 
against a day punctually assignable, but against a season 
or period perhaps of months. De Quincey, Plato. 
While on the one hand industry is limited by capital, so 
on the other every increase of capital gives, or is capable 
of giving, additional employment to industry ; and this 
without assignable limits. J. S. Mill, Pol. Econ., I. 82. 
3. Capable of being attributed; attributable. 
4. In law, predicable ; capable of being pointed 
out or substantiated : as, perjury is not assigna- 
ble of testimony on an immaterial point. 
assignably (a-si'na-bli), adv. In an assignable 
manner, 
assignat (as'ig-nat ; F. pron. a-se-nya'), n. [F., 
< L. assignatus, pp. of assignare, assign, allot: 
see assign, r.] 1. One of the notes forming 
the paper currency issued in France during the 
revolution from 1789 to 1796. The assignats were 
based on the security of the confiscated church lands, and 
afterward of all the national domains and other property. 
They were issued to the amount of over forty-five billion 
francs, and before they were withdrawn deteriorated to 
less than one three-hundredth of their face value. 
2. In French law, the assignment of an annuity 
on an estate, by which the annuity is based on 
the security of the latter : now little used. 
assignation (as-ig-na'shon), n. [= F. assigna- 
tion, < L. assignatio(n-), assignment, allotment, 
< assignare, pp. assignatus: see assign, v.] 1. 
The act of assigning or allotting; the act of fix- 
ing or specifying. 
The assignation of particular names to denote particular 
objects. Adam Smith, Origin of Languages. 
