assess | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

16 entries found.

early 15c., "to fix the amount (of a tax, fine, etc.)," from Anglo-French assesser, from Medieval Latin assessare "fix a tax upon," originally frequentative of Latin assessus "a sitting by," past participle of assidere/adsidere "to sit beside" (and thus to assist in the office of a judge), "sit with in counsel or office," from ad "to" (see ad-) + sedere "to sit," from PIE root *sed- (1) "to sit."

One job of the judge's assistant was to fix the amount of a fine or tax. Meaning "to estimate the value of property for the purpose of taxing it" is from 1809; transferred sense of "to judge the value of" (a person, idea, etc.) is from 1934. Related: Assessed; assessing.

assessable (adj.)

mid-15c., from assess + -able.

reassess (v.)

also re-assess, "assess again," 1803; see re- "again" + assess. Related: Reassessed; reassessing.

cess (n.)

"tax, levy," 1530s, from the verb cess "impose a tax upon" (late 15c.), altered spelling of sess, short for assess (q.v.).

assessment (n.)

1530s, "value of property for tax purposes," from assess + -ment. Meaning "act of determining or adjusting of tax rate, charges, damages, etc., to be paid" is from 1540s (earlier in this sense was assession, mid-15c.). General sense of "estimation" is recorded from 1620s; in education jargon from 1956.

assessor (n.)

late 14c., "assistant or adviser to a judge or magistrate," from Old French assessor "assistant judge, assessor (in court)" (12c., Modern French assesseur) and directly from Latin assessor "an assistant, aid; an assistant judge," in Late Latin "one who assesses taxes," literally "a sitter-by, one who sits by (another)," agent noun from past participle stem of assidere "to sit beside" (see assess). From 1610s as "one who assesses taxes." Milton uses it in the literal Latin sense in "Paradise Lost," calling Christ the Assessor of God's throne.

prorate (v.)

also pro-rate, "divide or distribute proportionally, assess pro rata," 1860, American English, verb derived from Latin pro rata (parte); see pro rata. Related: Prorated; prorating.

pretest

also pre-test, by 1949 as a verb ("to test before") and noun ("experimental test to assess the questions or methods intended for a projected test"), from pre- "before" + test.

censure (n.)

late 14c., "judicial sentence," originally ecclesiastical, from Latin censura "judgment, opinion," also "office of a censor," from census, past participle of censere "appraise, estimate, assess" (see censor (n.)). General sense of "a finding of fault and an expression of condemnation" is from c. 1600.

size (v.)

c. 1400, "to regulate," from size (n.). Meaning "to make of a certain size" is from c. 1600; that of "to classify according to size" is first attested 1630s. Verbal phrase size up "estimate, assess" is from 1847 and retains the root sense of size (n.). Related: Sized; sizing.

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