English Explanatory Dictionary

assign

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To designate or set apart (something) for some purpose.
  2. To appoint or select (someone) for some office.
  3. To allot or give (something) as a task.
  4. To attribute or sort (something) into categories.
  5. To categorize (someone) as belonging to the male or female sex.
  6. To transfer (property, a legal right, etc.) from one person to another.
  7. To give (a value) to a variable.
noun
  1. An assignee.
  2. A thing relating or belonging to something else; an appurtenance.
  3. An assignment or appointment.
  4. A design or purpose.

Pronunciation

/əˈsaɪn/ en-us-assign.ogg

Word forms

assign assigns assigning assigned

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *sek- Proto-Indo-European *-nóm Proto-Italic *seknom Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Proto-Italic *seknāō Latin signō Latin assignōlbor. Old French assignerbor. Middle English assignen English assign From Middle English assignen, from Old French assigner, asigner, from Latin assignō, from ad- + signō (“mark, sign”).

Synonyms

earmark convey allocate commission consign

Derived words

assignability assignor misassign nonassigned preassign preassigned reassign unassign unassigned

Translations

Chinese Mandarin: 分類 /分类 Finnish: luokittaa Finnish: luokitella Finnish: lajitella French: attribuer French: assigner Hungarian: besorol Hungarian: sorol Hungarian: kategorizál Italian: categorizzare Italian: attribuire Latin: discribō Polish: przypisać Polish: przypisywać Portuguese: atribuir Romanian: împărți Romanian: categoriza Sardinian: assinzare Sassarese: assignà
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