assize

noun

as·​size ə-ˈsīz 

1

a

: a judicial inquest

b

: an action to be decided by such an inquest, the writ for instituting it, or the verdict or finding rendered by the jury

2

a

: the former periodical sessions of the superior courts in English counties for trial of civil and criminal cases

—usually used in plural

b

: the time or place of holding such a court, the court itself, or a session of it

—usually used in plural

Examples of assize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rather than being tried in an assize court, whose judges tended not to be very religious, Clarke was tried by a presiding judge who was a strict Puritan, a slave-trafficker, and a notoriously cruel admiral. —Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English assise, from Anglo-French, session, legal action, from asseer, asseoir to seat, from Vulgar Latin *assedēre, from Latin assidēre to sit beside, assist in the office of a judge, from ad- + sedēre to sit — more at sit

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

assize

noun

as·​size ə-ˈsīz 

: a session of an English court formerly held by judges traveling through various counties

—usually used in plural