Adjacent Words

Assign definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ASSI'GN, v.t. [L. assigno, of ad and signo, to allot to mark out, signum, a mark. The primary sense of sign is to send, or to set.]
1. To allot; to appoint or grant by distribution or apportionment.
The priests had a portion assigned them. Genesis 47.
2. To designate or appoint for a particular purpose.
They assigned Bezer, a city of refuge. Josh 20.
3. To fix, specify or designate; as an assigned quantity.
4. To make or set over; to transfer, sell or convey, by writing, as by indorsing a note, or by any writing on a separate paper.
5. To allege or show in particular; as, to assign a reason for one's conduct.
6. In law, to show or set forth with particularity; as, to assign error in a writ; to assign false judgment.
ASSI'GN, n. A person to whom property or an interest is or may be transferred; as, a deed to a man and his heirs and assigns.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person) [syn: delegate, designate, depute, assign]
2: give out; "We were assigned new uniforms" [syn: assign, allot, portion]
3: attribute or credit to; "We attributed this quotation to Shakespeare"; "People impute great cleverness to cats" [syn: impute, ascribe, assign, attribute]
4: select something or someone for a specific purpose; "The teacher assigned him to lead his classmates in the exercise" [syn: assign, specify, set apart]
5: attribute or give; "She put too much emphasis on her the last statement"; "He put all his efforts into this job"; "The teacher put an interesting twist to the interpretation of the story" [syn: put, assign]
6: make undue claims to having [syn: arrogate, assign]
7: transfer one's right to
8: decide as to where something belongs in a scheme; "The biologist assigned the mushroom to the proper class" [syn: assign, attribute]

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French assigner, from Latin assignare, from ad- + signare to mark, from signum mark, sign Date: 13th century 1. to transfer (property) to another especially in trust or for the benefit of creditors 2. a. to appoint to a post or duty <assigned them to light duty> <assigned me two clerks> b. to appoint as a duty or task <assigns 20 pages for homework> 3. to fix or specify in correspondence or relationship <assign counsel to the defendant> <assign a value to the variable> 4. a. to ascribe as a motive, reason, or cause especially after deliberation b. to consider to belong to (a specified period of time) Synonyms: see ascribe • assignability noun • assignable adjective • assigner or assignor noun II. noun Date: 15th century assignee 3 <heirs and assigns>

U.S. Military Dictionary

1. To place units or personnel in an organization where such placement is relatively permanent, and/or where such organization controls and administers the units or personnel for the primary function, or greater portion of the functions, of the unit or personnel. 2. To detail individuals to specific duties or functions where such duties or functions are primary and/or relatively permanent. See also attach. (JP 3-0)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v.tr. 1 (usu. foll. by to) a allot as a share or responsibility. b appoint to a position, task, etc. 2 fix (a time, place, etc.) for a specific purpose. 3 (foll. by to) ascribe or refer to (a reason, date, etc.) (assigned the manuscript to 1832). 4 (foll. by to) transfer formally (esp. personal property) to (another). --n. a person to whom property or rights are legally transferred. Derivatives: assignable adj. assigner n. assignor n. (in sense 4 of v.). Etymology: ME f. OF asi(g)ner f. L assignare mark out to (as AD-, signum sign)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

ASsign AS*sign", v. i. (Law) To transfer or pass over property to another, whether for the benefit of the assignee or of the assignor's creditors, or in furtherance of some trust.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Assign As*sign", n. [See Assignee.] (Law) A person to whom property or an interest is transferred; as, a deed to a man and his heirs and assigns.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Assign As*sign", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assigned; p. pr. & vb. n. Assigning.] [OE. assignen, asignen, F. assigner, fr. L. assignare; ad + signare to mark, mark out, designate, signum mark, sign. See Sign.] 1. To appoint; to allot; to apportion; to make over. In the order I assign to them. --Loudon. The man who could feel thus was worthy of a better station than that in which his lot had been assigned. --Southey. He assigned to his men their several posts. --Prescott. 2. To fix, specify, select, or designate; to point out authoritatively or exactly; as, to assign a limit; to assign counsel for a prisoner; to assign a day for trial. All as the dwarf the way to her assigned. --Spenser. It is not easy to assign a period more eventful. --De Quincey. 3. (Law) To transfer, or make over to another, esp. to transfer to, and vest in, certain persons, called assignees, for the benefit of creditors. To assign dower, to set out by metes and bounds the widow's share or portion in an estate. --Kent.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Assign As*sign", n. [From Assign, v.] A thing pertaining or belonging to something else; an appurtenance. [Obs.] Six French rapiers and poniards, with their assigns, as girdles, hangers, and so. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(assigns, assigning, assigned) 1. If you assign a piece of work to someone, you give them the work to do. When I taught, I would assign a topic to children which they would write about... Later in the year, she'll assign them research papers... When teachers assign homework, students usually feel an obligation to do it. VERB: V n to n, V n n, V n 2. If you assign something to someone, you say that it is for their use. The selling broker is then required to assign a portion of the commission to the buyer broker... He assigned her all his land in Ireland. = allocate VERB: V n to n, V n n 3. If someone is assigned to a particular place, group, or person, they are sent there, usually in order to work at that place or for that person. I was assigned to Troop A of the 10th Cavalry... Did you choose Russia or were you simply assigned there?... Each of us was assigned a minder, someone who looked after us. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed to n, be V-ed adv, be V-ed n 4. If you assign a particular function or value to someone or something, you say they have it. Under Mr. Harel's system, each business must assign a value to each job... Assign the letters of the alphabet their numerical values--A equals 1, B equals 2, etc. VERB: V n to n, V n n

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

a-sin (nathan, "to give," or "grant," i.e. apportion): Used (Jos 20:8) of Moses setting apart Bezer as one of the three cities of refuge on the East of the Jordan (compare De 4:41-43); also of Joab's stationing Uriah in a place of mortal peril in battle (2Sa 11:16).

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Apportion, allot, appoint, appropriate, cast. 2. Fix, specify, determine, designate. 3. Adduce, allege, advance, offer, show, give, present, bring forward. 4. (Law.) Transfer, convey, make over.

Moby Thesaurus

abalienate, accredit, alien, alienate, allocate, allot, allow, amortize, apply, appoint, apportion, appropriate, appropriate to, ascribe, assign to, associate, attach, attribute, authorize, barter, bequeath, carry over, cede, charge, charter, choose, classify, collocate, commend, commission, commit, communicate, confer, confide, consign, convey, credit, decide, deed, deed over, define, delegate, deliver, demise, denominate, deploy, deport, depute, deputize, designate, destine, detach, detail, determine, devolute, devolve, devolve upon, diffuse, dispose, disseminate, distribute, earmark, emplace, empower, enfeoff, entrust, establish, exchange, expel, export, extradite, fate, fix, get a fix, give, give homework, give in charge, give in trust, give out, give title to, grant, hand, hand down, hand forward, hand on, hand over, home in on, impart, import, impute, indicate, infeudate, install, lay, lay down, license, link, localize, locate, lot, make a syllabus, make an assignment, make assignments, make over, mark, mark off, mark out for, mention, metastasize, metathesize, mete out, mission, name, navigate, negotiate, nominate, ordain, order, ordinate, pass, pass on, pass over, pass the buck, perfuse, pick out, pigeonhole, pin down, pinpoint, place, point out, portion off, position, post, prescribe, put, put down, put in place, refer, relate, relay, relegate, remand, remise, remit, reserve, restrict, restrict to, schedule, second, select, sell, send out, set, set a task, set apart, set aside, set hurdles, set off, settle, settle on, sign away, sign over, signify, situate, specialize, specify, spot, spread, state, stipulate, surrender, switch, tab, tag, trade, transfer, transfer property, transfuse, translate, translocate, transmit, transplace, transplant, transpose, triangulate, trust, turn over, warrant, zero in on