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assize

[ uh-sahyz ]
/ əˈsaɪz /
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See synonyms for: assize / assizes on Thesaurus.com
noun
Usually assizes . a trial session, civil or criminal, held periodically in specific locations in England, usually by a judge of a superior court.
an edict, ordinance, or enactment made at a session of a legislative assembly.
an inquest before members of a jury or assessors; a judicial inquiry.
an action, writ, or verdict of an assize.
judgment: the last assize; the great assize.
a statute for the regulation and control of weights and measures or prices of general commodities in the market.
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Origin of assize

1250–1300; Middle English asise<Old French: a sitting, noun use of feminine of asis seated at (past participle of aseeir), equivalent to a-a-5 + -sis<Latin sēssum (sed- stem of sedēre to sit1 + -tus past participle suffix)

Words nearby assize

assisted reproduction, assisted suicide, assistive, assistive technology, Assiut, assize, assizes, ass-kick, ass-kissing, assn., assoc.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to assize

assembly, court, decree, enactment, hearing, inquest, measure, ordinance, rule, session, trial, tribunal

How to use assize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for assize

assize
/ (əˈsaɪz) /
noun
(in the US)
  1. a sitting of a legislative assembly or administrative body
  2. an enactment or order of such an assembly
English history a trial or judicial inquest, the writ instituting such inquest, or the verdict
Scots law
  1. trial by jury
  2. another name for jury 1

Word Origin for assize

C13: from Old French assise session, from asseoir to seat, from Latin assidēre to sit beside; see assess
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
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