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assess
[ uh-ses ]
/ ÉËsÉs /
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verb (used with object)
to estimate officially the value of (property, income, etc.) as a basis for taxation.
to fix or determine the amount of (damages, a tax, a fine, etc.): The hurricane damage was assessed at six million dollars.
to impose a tax or other charge on.
to estimate or judge the value, character, etc., of; evaluate: to assess one's efforts.
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Origin of assess
First recorded in 1400â50; late Middle English assessen, from Old French assesser, fromMedieval Latin assessÄre âto assess a tax,â derivative of Latin assessus âseated beside (a judge)â (past participle of assidÄre ), equivalent to as- âtowardâ + sed- (stem of sedÄre âto sitâ) + -tus past participle suffix; see as-, sit1
historical usage of assess
Assess comes from Middle English assessen, from Old French assesser, from Late Latin assessÄre âto fix a tax on.â AssessÄre is a Late Latin frequentative verb derived from assess-, the inflectional stem of the past participle assessus, from the Latin verb assidÄre âto sit next to or by (as an assistant, attendant, or aide),â formed from the preposition and prefix ad, ad-, here having the sense ânearness, presence at,â and -sidÄre, a combining form of the verb sedÄre âto sit, be seated.â
In Proto-Indo-European, two dental consonants (such as d + d, d + t, t + t, etc.) could not appear together. In the Italic languages (Latin, Oscan, Umbrian) and Germanic, the two dental consonants developed into -ss- ; thus the original Latin past participle of sedÄre , sedtus (originally an adjective suffix, typically forming past participles in Latin) regularly became sessus, the base for the Late Latin verb assessÄre.
In Proto-Indo-European, two dental consonants (such as d + d, d + t, t + t, etc.) could not appear together. In the Italic languages (Latin, Oscan, Umbrian) and Germanic, the two dental consonants developed into -ss- ; thus the original Latin past participle of sedÄre , sedtus (originally an adjective suffix, typically forming past participles in Latin) regularly became sessus, the base for the Late Latin verb assessÄre.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use assess in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for assess
assess
/ (ÉËsÉs) /
verb (tr)
to judge the worth, importance, etc, of; evaluate
(foll by at) to estimate the value of (income, property, etc) for taxation purposesthe estate was assessed at three thousand pounds
to determine the amount of (a fine, tax, damages, etc)
to impose a tax, fine, etc, on (a person or property)
Derived forms of assess
assessable, adjectiveWord Origin for assess
C15: from Old French assesser, from Latin assidÄre to sit beside, from sedÄre to sit
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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