assess
[ uh-ses ]
/ əˈsɛs /
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.
Origin of assess
historical usage of assess
Assess comes from Middle English
assessen, from Old French
assesser, from Late Latin
assessāre “to fix a tax on.”
Assessāre is a Late Latin
frequentative verb derived from
assess-, the inflectional stem of the past participle
assessus, from the Latin verb
assidēre “to sit next to or by (as an assistant, attendant, or aide),” formed from the preposition and prefix
ad, ad-, here having the sense “nearness, presence at,” and
-sidēre, a combining form of the verb
sedēre “to sit, be seated.”
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 sedēre , sedtus (originally an adjective suffix, typically forming past participles in Latin) regularly became sessus, the base for the Late Latin verb assessāre.
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 sedēre , sedtus (originally an adjective suffix, typically forming past participles in Latin) regularly became sessus, the base for the Late Latin verb assessāre.
OTHER WORDS FROM assess
Words nearby assess
Example sentences from the Web for assessable
The rents are fixed in cash, being proportioned according to the assessable value of the property.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13 |Elbert HubbardA fine of $100 is assessable against any county or state superintendent who fails to enforce the provisions of the law.
I feel a great interest in you, Willie, but I do not feel as though it should be an assessable interest.
Cordwood |Edgar Wilson (Bill) NyeThe shares of the company were assessable with unlimited liabilities on the part of the share holder.
Some Pioneers and Pilgrims on the Prairies of Dakota |John B. Reese
British Dictionary definitions for assessable
assess
/ (əˈsɛs) /
verb (tr)
to judge the worth, importance, etc, of; evaluate
(foll by at)
to estimate the value of (income, property, etc) for taxation purposes
the 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
assidēre to sit beside, from
sedēre to sit