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assignat

[as-ig-nat; French a-see-nya]
noun, plural as·sig·nats [as-ig-nats; French a-see-nya] /ˈæs ɪgˌnæts; French a siˈnya/. French History.
  1. one of the notes issued as paper currency from 1789 to 1796 by the revolutionary government on the security of confiscated lands.
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Origin of assignat

1780–90; < French < Latin assignātus assigned (past participle of assignāre). See assign, -ate1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for assignat

Historical Examples

  • In June, 1795, the quotation of the assignat oscillated violently.

    The Paper Moneys of Europe

    Francis W. Hirst

  • I looked up, and there, straight before me, saw the same officer who had given me the assignat the night before.

  • I looked up, and, straight before me, saw the same officer who had given me the assignat the night before.

  • The paper was a French assignat, bearing the words, 'Payez au porteur la somme de deux mille livres.'

  • At these words he held up triumphantly the French assignat, and waved it before the eyes of the court.

British Dictionary definitions for assignat

assignat

noun
  1. French history the paper money issued by the Constituent Assembly in 1789, backed by the confiscated land of the Church and the émigrés
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Word Origin

C18: from French, from Latin assignātum something appointed; see assign
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012