Assess

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈsɛs/

Definitions

1. To evaluate or estimate the nature, ability, or quality of something
2. To evaluate the quality, value, or significance of a person, thing, or situation through systematic examination
3. To carefully evaluate the characteristics or worth of something through observation or analysis

Etymology: The verb "assess" began as a seat-taking word. Its ancestor in Latin, "assidēre," meant "to sit beside," built from "ad" ("to, at") and "sedēre" ("to sit"), the same root that gives English "sedentary" and "settle." Medieval Latin then turned the past participle "assessus" into a frequentative verb, "assessare," meaning to fix a sum or levy by sitting down with it, and that is the sense English inherited through Old French "assesser" and Middle English "assessen." The word's original sense of settling or sitting was not a mere metaphor. A tax or fine was imposed by a seated body of officials, so to "assess" was to set an amount by formal deliberation. Judging value carefully grew out of that concrete act of apportioning a payment.

Synonyms: evaluate, appraise, estimate, judge, rate

Antonyms: ignore, neglect, overlook, dismiss, disregard