English
assize
Assize comes from Old French assises, from asseoir ‘to sit’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sed-1‘to sit’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sedéh₁yeti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sedēō1‘to sit, to be sitting, to be seated’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsedeō1‘sit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEassideō2as assidere‘to sit by or near someone or something’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*assedēre3reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400asseoir2‘to sit’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400assises2feminine plural participle of asseoir
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500assise2‘a holding of the court of assize’
- Englishearliest quotation 1591assize2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin assideo
- 2 Wiktionary, English assize
- 3 Wiktionary, Old French asseoir
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1591, Edmund Spenser, Visons: “an hundred cubits high by just assize”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sed-Wiktionary, Latin assideo‘to sit’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sedéh₁yetiWiktionary, Latin assideoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sedēōWiktionary, Latin assideo‘to sit, to be sitting, to be seated’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsedeōWiktionary, Latin assideo‘sit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEassideōWiktionary, English assizeas assidere‘to sit by or near someone or something’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*assedēreWiktionary, Old French asseoirreconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400asseoirWiktionary, English assize‘to sit’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400assisesWiktionary, English assizefeminine plural participle of asseoir
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500assiseWiktionary, English assize‘a holding of the court of assize’
- Englishearliest quotation 1591assizeWiktionary, English assize. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1591, Edmund Spenser, Visons: “an hundred cubits high by just assize”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sed- ‘to sit’
set, sell, seat, method, chair, sitting, sit, settle, nest, niche, possess, saddle, exodus, subsidy, nye, beset, cathode, soot, setter, anode, prasad, chaise, sate, ersatz, salo, besiege, nidal, polyhedron, nias, 81 more
through Proto-Italic *sedēō ‘to sit, to be sitting, to be seated’
possession, obsession, presidente, 24 more
through Latin sedeō ‘sit’
president, session, resident, siege, sedan, reside, sediment, residual, residue, sedentary, insidious, sedative, possessive, sedate, dissident, obsess, assessor, presidio, seance, presidium, sessile, 26 more
through Latin assideō ‘to sit by or near someone or something’
through Old French asseoir ‘to sit’
Today it means
noun A session or inquiry made before a court or jury.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “assize”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin assideo, Old French asseoir. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sed- / assize