/euh sem"blee/ , n. , pl. assemblies .
1. an assembling or coming together of a number of persons, usually for a particular purpose: The principal will speak to all the students at Friday's assembly.
2. a group of persons gathered together, usually for a particular purpose, whether religious, political, educational, or social.
3. ( often cap. ) Govt. a legislative body, esp. the lower house of the legislature in certain states of the U.S.: a bill before the assembly; the New York State Assembly.
4. Mil.
a. a signal, as by drum or bugle, for troops to fall into ranks or otherwise assemble.
b. the movement of forces, tanks, soldiers, etc., scattered by battle or battle drill, toward and into a small area.
5. the putting together of complex machinery, as airplanes, from interchangeable parts of standard dimensions.
6. Mach. a group of machine parts, esp. one forming a self-contained, independently mounted unit. Cf. subassembly .
[ 1275-1325; ME assemblee assembler to ASSEMBLE ]
Syn. 1, 2. assemblage, gathering, congress, meeting. See convention. 2. throng. 3. congress, representatives.