I. əˈsīz also aˈ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English assise, from Old French, session, settlement, assessment, from feminine of assis, past participle of asseoir to seat, place, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin assedēre, alteration (influenced by Latin sedēre ) of Latin assidēre, adsidēre to sit beside, assist in the office of judge, from ad- + sedēre to sit — more at sit
1. : an instruction, decree, or enactment made or issued at a legislative sitting or assembly : edict , ordinance
the Assize of Clarendon
the Assize of Arms
2.
a. : a statute or ordinance regulating weights and measures or the weight, measure, proportions of ingredients, or price of articles sold in the market
the Assize of Weights and Measures
b. : the regulation of the price of bread or ale by the price of grain
3. : a fixed or customary standard (as of quantity, quality, or price)
4.
a. : a trial or hearing in the nature of an inquest or recognition before sworn jurymen or assessors : judicial inquest
b. : an action to be decided by such a hearing, the writ for instituting it, or the verdict or finding rendered by the jury
5.
a. : the periodical sessions of the judges of the superior courts in every county of England for the purpose of administering justice in the trial and determination of civil and criminal cases — usually used in plural
b. : the time or place of holding such a court, the court itself, or a session of it — usually used in plural
c. Scotland
(1) : a jury trial
(2) : jury , panel
6. : a cylinder-shaped block of stone forming part of a column or of a layer of stone in a building
II. transitive verb
( -ed/ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English assisen, from assise, n.
obsolete : to regulate or fix (as a price) according to an ordinance or standard