ad-

to, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

Forms

ad-
ac- — Used before c in Latin.
af- — Used before f in Latin.
ag- — Used before g in Latin.
al- — Used before l in Latin.
ap- — Used before p in Latin.
ar- — Used before r in Latin.
as- — Used before s in Latin.
at- — Used before t in Latin.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *ad, ‘to; near.’

Note

Later Latin-based spellings sometimes restored consonants that had disappeared in French.

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verb

assign

uh-SYNE/əˈsaɪn/

To designate something as belonging to a particular recipient or source.

The manager assigns each volunteer a task.

A teacher hands one student a broom, another a basket, and another a watering can, giving each person a specific classroom task.

Etymology

asLatinto, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

+signLatinmark, indicate, or designate

The pieces express marking something out for someone: Latin assignare meant to allot by a sign. That act of designation connects legal allotment with allocating tasks, roles, places, or values.

In context

James B. Glattfelder5:58

And we also assign a value to the company given by the operating revenue.

James B. Glattfelder: Who controls the world?

Princeton University0:21

Each year, I assign a book to the incoming class

'Every Day the River Changes: Four Weeks Down the Magdalena' by Jordan Salama selected as Pre-read

More examples

The company is assigning the patent to its subsidiary.
The report assigns the failure to a damaged valve.
She assigned a number to every sample.

Forms

assign · assigns · assigned · assigning

Similar words

allocate: Allocate emphasizes distributing a limited resource.
designate: Designate names something for a role rather than necessarily giving a task.