assess

[uh-ses]

verb (used with object)

1. to estimate officially the value of (property, income, etc.) as a basis for taxation.

2. to fix or determine the amount of (damages, a tax, a fine, etc.).

   The hurricane damage was assessed at six million dollars.

   Synonyms: adjust, appraise

3. to impose a tax or other charge on.

4. to estimate or judge the value, character, etc., of; evaluate.

   to assess one's efforts.

   Synonyms: appraise

assess

/ əˈsɛs /

verb

1. to judge the worth, importance, etc, of; evaluate

2. (foll by at) to estimate the value of (income, property, etc) for taxation purposes

   the estate was assessed at three thousand pounds

3. to determine the amount of (a fine, tax, damages, etc)

4. to impose a tax, fine, etc, on (a person or property)

Other Word Forms

• assessable adjective
• overassess verb (used with object)
• reassess verb (used with object)
• unassessable adjective
• unassessed adjective
• well-assessed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of assess¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English assessen, from Old French assesser, from Medieval Latin assessāre “to assess a tax,” derivative of Latin assessus “seated beside (a judge)” (past participle of assidēre ), equivalent to as- “toward” + sed- (stem of sedēre “to sit”) + -tus past participle suffix; as-, sit ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of assess¹

C15: from Old French assesser, from Latin assidēre to sit beside, from sedēre to sit

Example Sentences

It did not assess chemical impacts or entanglement, meaning the true scale of harm is likely to be higher.

Read more on BBC

The team discovered that people were more likely to trust false information during "gain" situations, and this behavior corresponded with activation in regions of the brain that process reward, assess risk, and interpret others' intentions.

Read more on Science Daily

The study assesses NCD prevalence among different animal groups and examines how specific risk factors contribute to disease development.

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When Gibson assesses that they were initially given two years to live, they felt like that was a short amount of time; now they see it as “so much.”

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Understanding these fundamentals helps scientists assess the stability of whale populations.

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Related Words

• appraise 
• check 
• determine 
• estimate 
• fix 
• gauge 
• judge 
• weigh