assist

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To help someone do something.

   This book will assist you in getting your life in order.

2. 2
   verb

   To work in a supporting role for someone.

   I assisted my boss with the presentation.

3. 3
   noun

   In sports, a play that helps a teammate score.

   She had ten assists in the last game.

4. 4
   noun

   Help given to someone.

   I gave them an assist with the housework.

Simplified etymology

Assist entered English in the late Middle English period. It belongs to the Latin family of sistere, “to set, stand still, or stop,” and originally meant “take your stand.”

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti Proto-Italic *sistō Latin sistō Latin assistō Old French assisterbor. Middle English assisten English assist From Middle English assisten, from Old French assister (“to assist, to attend”), from Latin assistō (“stand at, bestand”, verb).

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary