assistant

A2 Topic:Work & Careers

US /əˈsɪstənt/ See IPA manual

Freq #1886

Meanings

1

noun
A person whose job is to help someone, especially in their work.

The manager asked her assistant to book the meeting room.
2

noun
A person whose job is to help customers in a shop.

The shop assistant showed us where to find the shoes.
3

adj
Holding a lower or supporting position in a job.

She works as an assistant manager at the store.
4

noun
A software tool that helps you complete a task step by step.

The setup assistant guided me through installing the program.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person whose job is to... help helper supporter

3 adj · holding a lower or... adjunct

4 noun · a software tool that helps... wizard

Word family

Forms assistants

Derived forms assistant-manageassistantlyassistantshipnurse-assistantphysician-assistantunderassistant

Related forms assist assistance

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

assistant foreman
a worker who helps supervise a work crew under a foreman

Noun + noun

Etymology

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 assistōbor. Middle French assister Proto-Indo-European *-onts Latin -ns Latin -āns Old French -ant Middle French -ant Middle French assistantbor. Middle English assistent English assistant From Middle English assistent, from Middle French assistant, from assister. By surface analysis, assist + -ant.

assistent Middle English assistant Middle French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Work & Careers

External links

# assistant

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /əˈsɪstənt/
**Frequency rank:** 1886

## Meanings
1. A person whose job is to help someone, especially in their work.
2. A person whose job is to help customers in a shop.
3. Holding a lower or supporting position in a job.
4. A software tool that helps you complete a task step by step.

## Examples
- The manager asked her assistant to book the meeting room.
- The shop assistant showed us where to find the shoes.
- She works as an assistant manager at the store.
- The setup assistant guided me through installing the program.

## Derived Forms
- assistant-manage
- assistantly
- assistantship
- nurse-assistant
- physician-assistant
- underassistant

## Related Forms
- assist
- assistance

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: assistent
- Root: assistant
- Affix: -ant - one who

## Etymology
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 assistōbor. Middle French assister Proto-Indo-European *-onts Latin -ns Latin -āns Old French -ant Middle French -ant Middle French assistantbor. Middle English assistent English assistant From Middle English assistent, from Middle French assistant, from assister. By surface analysis, assist + -ant.

## AI Etymology
Assistant is from Middle English assistent, from Middle French assistant, from assister. By surface analysis, assist plus -ant. The agentive suffix ties the word to a role, participant, recipient, or instrument associated with assist; here the base names the field or object, while the suffix identifies the person or thing in that relation. In use as a noun and an adjective, assistant denotes a person whose job is to help someone, especially in their work, a person whose job is to help customers in a shop, and holding a lower or supporting position in a job. The same word family continues in derived forms such as assistant-manage, assistantly, assistantship, and nurse-assistant and related entries such as assist and assistance.

## Topics
- Work & Careers

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