assign

B1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /əˈsaɪn/ See IPA manual

Freq #11993

Meanings

1

verb
To give someone a particular task or job to do.

The teacher assigned each student a chapter to read.
2

verb
To choose someone or something for a particular purpose or place.

I was assigned to the team working on the new project.
3

verb
To give something out to people as their share.

The manager assigned new uniforms to all the staff.
4

verb
To legally transfer your right to something to another person.

He assigned the rights to the song to his record company.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to give someone a... delegate allocate

2 verb · to choose someone or... set apart

3 verb · to give something out to... portion allocate

More convey earmark transfer

Word family

Forms assignedassigningassigns

Derived forms assignabilityassignormisassignnonassignedpreassignpreassignedreassignunassignunassigned

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 *seknomdenom. 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”).

*sek- Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- Proto-Indo-European assignen Middle English assigner Old French assignō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# assign

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /əˈsaɪn/
**Frequency rank:** 11993

## Meanings
1. To give someone a particular task or job to do.
2. To choose someone or something for a particular purpose or place.
3. To give something out to people as their share.
4. To legally transfer your right to something to another person.

## Examples
- The teacher assigned each student a chapter to read.
- I was assigned to the team working on the new project.
- The manager assigned new uniforms to all the staff.
- He assigned the rights to the song to his record company.

## Synonyms
- convey
- earmark
- transfer

## Derived Forms
- assignability
- assignor
- misassign
- nonassigned
- preassign
- preassigned
- reassign
- unassign
- unassigned

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *sek-
- Root: *sekʷ-
- Root: assignen
- Root: assigner
- Root: assignō

## 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 *seknomdenom. 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”).

## AI Etymology
Assign comes from Middle English assignen, from Old French assigner, asigner, from Latin assignō, from ad- plus signō (“mark, sign”). The historical line also includes Proto-Indo-European *sek- and Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ-. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern verbal form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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