assistant

[uh-sis-tuhnt]

noun

1. a person who assists or gives aid and support; helper.

2. a person who is subordinate to another in rank, function, etc.; one holding a secondary rank in an office or post.

   He was assistant to the office manager.

   Synonyms: adjutant, aide

3. something that aids and supplements another.

4. a faculty member of a college or university who ranks below an instructor and whose responsibilities usually include grading papers, supervising laboratories, and assisting in teaching.

adjective

1. assisting; helpful.

2. serving in an immediately subordinate position; of secondary rank.

   an assistant coach.

assistant

/ əˈsɪstənt /

noun

1. 1. a person who assists, esp in a subordinate position

   2. ( as modifier )

      assistant manager

2. See shop assistant

adjective

1. archaic,  helpful or useful as an aid

Other Word Forms

• nonassistant noun
• unassistant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of assistant¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English assistent, from Latin assistent-, stem of assistēns “standing by,” present participle of assistere “to stand by, help”; assist

Example Sentences

As a former assistant secretary for policy development and research at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Bostic views housing as both a driver of inequality and a constraint on business growth.

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Brown was an assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine for many years.

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Kilpatrick, a research assistant professor at Northwestern’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics, is an expert on the life cycles of massive stars.

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He hired a staff that included his sons as assistant coaches and tabbed longtime NFL executive Michael Lombardi to be the Tar Heels’ general manager.

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These employees are spending anywhere from $10 a month for an AI assistant to several thousand a month for a part-time helper—and they say it’s worth every penny.

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Related Words

• aide 
• apprentice 
• associate 
• attendant 
• backup 
• colleague 
• companion 
• deputy 
• friend 
• partner 
• representative 
• secretary