Part 399

Who informed the governor . . . And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were so. Acts xxiv. 9.

The princess assented to all that was suggested. Macaulay.

Syn. -- To yield; agree; acquiesce; concede; concur.

As*sent" (&?;), n. [OE. assent, fr. assentir. See Assent, v.] The act of assenting; the act of the mind in admitting or agreeing to anything; concurrence with approval; consent; agreement; acquiescence.

Faith is the assent to any proposition, on the credit of the proposer. Locke.

The assent, if not the approbation, of the prince. Prescott.

Too many people read this ribaldry with assent and admiration. Macaulay.

Royal assent, in England, the assent of the sovereign to a bill which has passed both houses of Parliament, after which it becomes law.

Syn. -- Concurrence; acquiescence; approval; accord. -- Assent, Consent. Assent is an act of the understanding, consent of the will or feelings. We assent to the views of others when our minds come to the same conclusion with theirs as to what is true, right, or admissible. We consent when there is such a concurrence of our will with their desires and wishes that we decide to comply with their requests. The king of England gives his assent, not his consent, to acts of Parliament, because, in theory at least, he is not governed by personal feelings or choice, but by a deliberate, judgment as to the common good. We also use assent in cases where a proposal is made which involves but little interest or feeling. A lady may assent to a gentleman's opening the window; but if he offers himself in marriage, he must wait for her consent.

As`sen*ta"tion (&?;), n. [L. assentatio. See Assent, v.] Insincere, flattering, or obsequious assent; hypocritical or pretended concurrence.

Abject flattery and indiscriminate assentation degrade as much as indiscriminate contradiction and noisy debate disgust. Ld. Chesterfield.

As`sen*ta"tor, n. [L., fr. assentari to assent constantly.] An obsequious; a flatterer. [R.]

As*sent"a*to*ry (&?;), a. Flattering; obsequious. [Obs.] -- As*sent"a*to*ri*ly, adv. [Obs.]

As*sent"er (&?;), n. One who assents.

As*sen"tient, a. Assenting.

As*sent"ing (&?;), a. Giving or implying assent. -- As*sent"ing*ly, adv.

As*sent"ive (&?;), a. Giving assent; of the nature of assent; complying. -- As*sent"ive*ness, n.

As*sent"ment, n. Assent; agreement. [Obs.]

As*sert" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Asserted; p. pr. & vb. n. Asserting.] [L. assertus, p. p. of asserere to join or fasten to one's self, claim, maintain; ad + serere to join or bind together. See Series.] 1. To affirm; to declare with assurance, or plainly and strongly; to state positively; to aver; to asseverate.

Nothing is more shameful . . . than to assert anything to be done without a cause. Ray.

2. To maintain; to defend. [Obs. or Archaic]

That . . . I may assert Eternal Providence, And justify the ways of God to men. Milton.

I will assert it from the scandal. Jer. Taylor.

3. To maintain or defend, as a cause or a claim, by words or measures; to vindicate a claim or title to; as, to assert our rights and liberties.

To assert one's self, to claim or vindicate one's rights or position; to demand recognition.

Syn. -- To affirm; aver; asseverate; maintain; protest; pronounce; declare; vindicate. -- To Assert, Affirm, Maintain, Vindicate. To assert is to fasten to one's self, and hence to claim. It is, therefore, adversative in its nature. We assert our rights and privileges, or the cause of tree institutions, as against opposition or denial. To affirm is to declare as true. We assert boldly; we affirm positively. To maintain is to uphold, and insist upon with earnestness, whatever we have once asserted; as, to maintain one's cause, to maintain an argument, to maintain the ground we have taken. To vindicate is to use language and measures of the strongest kind, in defense of ourselves and those for whom we act. We maintain our assertions by adducing proofs, facts, or arguments; we are ready to vindicate our rights or interests by the utmost exertion of our powers.

As*sert"er (&?;), n. One who asserts; one who avers pr maintains; an assertor.

The inflexible asserter of the rights of the church. Milman.