noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from Middle French, seating of guests at table, course (of a meal), from Old French, assessment (of a tax), from (assumed) Vulgar Latin assedita action of seating or placing, from feminine of asseditus, past participle of assedēre to seat, place — more at assize
1.
a. : plate 3c
b. : hors d'oeuvres or cold cuts served on one plate
2. : a mixture of bole, bloodstone, and galena used as a gilding surface (as by bookbinders)