as·sign

(ə-sīn′)

tr.v. as·signed, as·sign·ing, as·signs

1. To select for a duty or office; appoint: firefighters assigned to the city's industrial park. See Synonyms at appoint.

2. To set apart for a particular purpose or place in a particular category; designate: assigned the new species to an existing genus. See Synonyms at allocate.

3. To give out as a task; allot: assigned homework to the class.

4. To ascribe; attribute: assigned blame for the loss to a lack of good defense. See Synonyms at attribute.

5. To match or pair with: assign a value to each of the variables.

6. Law To transfer (property, rights, or interests) from one to another.

n. Law

An assignee.

[Middle English assignen, from Old French assigner, from Latin assignāre : ad-, ad- + signāre, to mark (from signum, sign; see sek^w- in Indo-European roots).]

as·sign′a·bil′i·ty n.

as·sign′a·ble adj.

as·sign′a·bly adv.

as·sign′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.

assigned - appointed to a post or duty; "assigned personnel"; "assigned duties"

unassigned - not assigned; "unassigned personnel"

Translations

addetto assegnato

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The education which was assigned to the men was music and gymnastic.

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For by assigning to the Women the same two colours as were assigned to the Priests, the Revolutionists thereby ensured that, in certain positions, every Woman would appear like a Priest, and be treated with corresponding respect and deference -- a prospect that could not fail to attract the Female Sex in a mass.

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Galileo explained the phenomena of the lunar light produced during certain of her phases by the existence of mountains, to which he assigned a mean altitude of

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Besides the before-mentioned motive assigned to the present behaviour of Jones, the reader will be likewise pleased to recollect in his favour, that he was not at this time perfect master of that wonderful power of reason, which so well enables grave and wise men to subdue their unruly passions, and to decline any of these prohibited amusements.

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Wrapped in the blanket which had hitherto formed his only covering, he might have been the child of a nobleman or a beggar; it would have been hard for the haughtiest stranger to have assigned him his proper station in society.

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Though the poems of the Boeotian school (2) were unanimously assigned to Hesiod down to the age of Alexandrian criticism, they were clearly neither the work of one man nor even of one period: some, doubtless, were fraudulently fathered on him in order to gain currency; but it is probable that most came to be regarded as his partly because of their general character, and partly because the names of their real authors were lost.

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The Disinherited Knight, with all knightly courtesy, declined their request, alleging, that he could not at this time suffer his face to be seen, for reasons which he had assigned to the heralds when he entered the lists.

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And with those whose impulses have guided them to benevolent actions, we will rank others to whom Providence has assigned a different tendency and different powers.

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But such a supposition did by no means involve the remotest suspicion as to any boat's crew being assigned to that boat.

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If no reason can be assigned -- and I know of none myself -- I think we have a point here which deserves our careful consideration; for it may be a point which is open to attack.

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I shall not deny that there are strong reasons to be assigned for requiring in this particular the concurrence of that body, or of a part of it.

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Aeschylus first introduced a second actor; he diminished the importance of the Chorus, and assigned the leading part to the dialogue.

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