assignment webster dictionary definition

ASSIGNMENT , contracts . In common parlance this word signifies the transfer of all kinds of property , real , personal , and mixed , and whether the same be in possession or in action ; as , a general assignment . In a more technical sense it Is usually applied to the transfer of a term for years ; but it is more properly used to signify a transfer of some particular estate or interest in lands .      2 . The proper technical words of an assignment are , assign , transfer , and set over ; but the words grant , bargain , and sell , or any other words which will show the intent of the parties to make a complete transfer , will amount to an assignment .      3 . A chose in action cannot be assigned at law , though it may be done in equity ; but the assignee takes it subject to all the equity to which it was liable in the hands of the original party . 2 John . Ch . Rep . 443 , and the cases there cited . 2 Wash . Rep . 233 .      4 . The deed by which an assignment is made ,, is also called an assignment . Vide , generally , Com . Dig . h . t .; Bac . Ab . h . t . Vin . Ab . h . t .; Nelson ' s Ab . h . t .; Civ . Code of Louis . art . 2612 . In relation to general assignments , see Angell on Assignments , passim ; 1 Hate & Wall . Sel . Dec . 78- 85 .      5 . By an assignment of a right all the accessories which belong to it , will pass with it as , if the assignor of a bond had collateral security , or a lien on property , the collateral security and the lien will pass with the assignment of the bond . 2 Penn . 361 ; 3 Bibb , 291 ; 4 B . Munroe , 529 ; 2 Drev . n . 218 ; 1 P . St . R . 454 . 6 . The assignment of a thing also carries with it all that belongs to it by right of accession ; if , therefore , the thing produce interest or rent , the interest or the arrearages of the rent since the assignment , will belong to the assignee . 7 John . Cas . 90 6 Pick . 360 .

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Definition of assignment noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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• 2 [ uncountable ] the act of giving something to someone; the act of giving someone a particular task his assignment to other duties in the same company

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  Vocabulary      

What does assignment mean?

Definitions for assignment əˈsaɪn mənt as·sign·ment, this dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word assignment ., princeton's wordnet rate this definition: 4.0 / 1 vote.

assignment, duty assignment noun

a duty that you are assigned to perform (especially in the armed forces)

"hazardous duty"

• assignment noun

the instrument by which a claim or right or interest or property is transferred from one person to another

assignment, assigning noun

the act of distributing something to designated places or persons

"the first task is the assignment of an address to each datum"

grant, assignment noun

(law) a transfer of property by deed of conveyance

an undertaking that you have been assigned to do (as by an instructor)

appointment, assignment, designation, naming noun

the act of putting a person into a non-elective position

"the appointment had to be approved by the whole committee"

Wiktionary Rate this definition: 1.0 / 1 vote

the act of assigning, or an assigned task

a position to which someone is assigned

a task given to students, homework or coursework

a transfer of something from one person to another, especially property, or a claim or right; the document that effects this transfer

an operation that assigns a value to a variable

Etymology: assignement

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

Assignment noun

Appointment of one thing with regard to another thing or person.

Etymology: from assign.

The only thing which maketh any place publick, is the publick assignment thereof unto such duties. Richard Hooker , b. v. § 12.

This institution, which assigns it to a person, whom we have no rule to know, is just as good as an assignment to no body at all. John Locke.

Webster Dictionary Rate this definition: 4.0 / 1 vote

an allotting or an appointment to a particular person or use; or for a particular time, as of a cause or causes in court

a transfer of title or interest by writing, as of lease, bond, note, or bill of exchange; a transfer of the whole of some particular estate or interest in lands

the writing by which an interest is transferred

the transfer of the property of a bankrupt to certain persons called assignees, in whom it is vested for the benefit of creditors

Etymology: [LL. assignamentum: cf. OF. assenement.]

Wikidata Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

In computer programming, an assignment statement sets and/or re-sets the value stored in the storage location denoted by a variable name, in other words, it copies the value into the variable. In most imperative programming languages, the assignment statement is a fundamental construct. Today, the most commonly used notation for this basic operation has come to be x = expr followed by x := expr, although there are many other notations in use. In some languages the symbol used is regarded as an operator while others define the assignment as a statement. Assignments typically allow a variable to hold different values at different times during its life-span and scope. However, some languages does not allow that kind of "destructive" re-assignment, as it might imply changes of non-local state. The purpose is to enforce referential transparency, i.e. functions that do not depend on the state of some variable, but produce the same results for a given set of parametric inputs at any point in time. Modern programs in other languages also often use similar strategies, although less strict, and only in certain parts, in order to reduce complexity, normally in conjunction with complementing methodologies such as data structuring, structured programming and object orientation.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

If, upon marches, guards, or in quarters, different corps of the army shall happen to join or do duty together, the officer highest in rank of the line of the army, marine corps, or militia, by commission, there on duty or in quarters, shall command the whole, and give orders for what is needful to the service, unless otherwise specially directed by the President of the United States, according to the nature of the case. See Appendix, Articles of War, 122.

Editors Contribution Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

A specific task or goal assigned to a person or team to achieve.

The assignment is easy and simple to complete.

Submitted by MaryC on March 13, 2020  

Suggested Resources Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

Song lyrics by assignment -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by assignment on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

• Legal Document
• Transferred Property
• Undertaking

British National Corpus

Written Corpus Frequency

Rank popularity for the word 'assignment' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3553

Nouns Frequency

Rank popularity for the word 'assignment' in Nouns Frequency: #2041

How to pronounce assignment?

Alex US English David US English Mark US English Daniel British Libby British Mia British Karen Australian Hayley Australian Natasha Australian Veena Indian Priya Indian Neerja Indian Zira US English Oliver British Wendy British Fred US English Tessa South African

How to say assignment in sign language?

Chaldean Numerology

The numerical value of assignment in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

Pythagorean Numerology

The numerical value of assignment in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of assignment in a Sentence

Jenny Yip :

If something doesn’t sit well with you, rather than being passive aggressive about it, acknowledge what is or isn’t working and then have a conversation with whoever is giving you this assignment , defiers usually don’t feel equipped to have these conversations with who they see as authority figures, or they don’t believe that having the conversations would give them any benefit or positive outcome. … That’s not necessarily true.

Shawn Engbrecht :

The first rule of thumb like when you are collecting art, if you have to ask how much it is you probably can’t afford it, most of our junior level folks, first assignment out they are clearing approximately $20K a month.

Starter Mike Fiers :

Nobody is surprised to see Hendriks helping out. Everything he does is with a passion and care known well for his thoughtful work off the field as much as his intensity on it. Hendriks reliability in the ninth inning has earned him a solid reputation, too. But you wont hear Hendriks say it. He plans to earn the job again. I dont want to be complacent, he said. Going out there and making sure I put everything on the line every night is a big thing for me. The Oakland closer received a nice raise when he signed a $ 5.3 million, one-year contract last month to avoid salary arbitration. The 31-year-old Hendriks is approaching this season as if he has everything to prove once again. He plans to take the mound each opportunity he gets exhibiting the confidence that he can and will repeat what he did last season. The right-hander, a former opener for the As, went 4-4 with a 1.80 ERA and 25 saves over a career-high 75 appearances spanning 85 innings. I dont want to dwell too much on last year because I dont want to rest on my laurels. I dont want to go out there and be like, Oh, I had my good year, I can ride that wave as long as I can, Hendriks said. I want to go out there and prove that it wasnt a fluke. I want to go out there and prove that no matter what happened last year I still need to win the job this year. I dont want to be gifted anything. I dont want to be given anything, I want to go out there and make sure that in spring training I prove that I want this role, I want this job and Im going to run away with it and prove to everybody why I want it. Hendriks became a key piece for As manager Bob Melvin late in games last season as The Oakland earned the ALs top wild card before losing to Tampa Bay. Considering his topsy-turvy history, Melvin is hardly surprised by Hendriks focus. He got designated for assignment on June 25, 2018 and has been through that almost a half-dozen times now before starting The Oakland 7-2 wild-card loss at Yankee Stadium just more than three months later. You would expect that from somebody thats been through the trials and tribulations that hes been over his career, so I think it is more about him not relaxing at all, Melvin said. He wants to be pushed, he wants to earn everything that he gets. Hes come a long way. He had as dominant a year really as anybody in baseball. He has learned from other times when he thought things were going smoothly, saying, I dont like feeling like Ive got it in the bag because as soon as I do somethings always going to pop up, Hendriks said. I dealt with certain things very poorly in the past and my mindset to get over that was expect the worst and hope for the best, he said. Expect the worst and if something good happens youre able to handle it, rather than expecting things and if they didnt come to fruition, falling out a rabbit hole and being kind of self-deprecating and all that. Starter Mike Fiers appreciates Hendriks determination and focus to again show why he is fit to be the ninth-inning option. Everyone has their ups and downs, and thats similar to how I am. I dont want to just sit back and be like Listen, Ive got the job.

Jessica Lahey :

We want to feel needed and so when we take that homework assignment to school for them and rescue them, we feel we get to check that box off today. 'I was a good parent,'.

Raneshwar Sing Kishan :

if you listen to all those people who have become the face of farmers protest and often give media bites, they have kept the main agenda on the back seat and travelling with luxuries and stressing everywhere on the importance of voting only. It seems through backdoor meeting they were given an assignment by Govt to convince people for voting only.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

• ^  Princeton's WordNet http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=assignment
• ^  Wiktionary https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Assignment
• ^  Samuel Johnson's Dictionary https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=assignment
• ^  Webster Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assignment
• ^  Wikidata https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=assignment
• ^  Military Dictionary and Gazetteer https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/59563/pg59563-images.html

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Definition of 'assignment'

assignment in British English

Assignment in american english, examples of 'assignment' in a sentence assignment, cobuild collocations assignment, trends of assignment.

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Webster’s Dictionary 1828: Annotated

Noah Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language declared Americans free from the tyranny of British institutions and their vocabularies.

Sometimes, a dictionary is more than just words and definitions—it may be intended to serve as a declaration of linguistic independence. When Noah Webster ’s first edition of the American Dictionary of the English Language was published in April 1828, it held 70,000 words, 12,000 of which were making their first appearance in dictionary form. Webster’s goals for the work were grand: “to furnish a standard of our vernacular tongue, which we shall not be ashamed to bequeath to three hundred millions of people, who are destined to occupy, and I hope, to adorn the vast territory within our jurisdiction.”

Noah Webster’s roles in the formation of the early United States were manifold: editor of the Federalist Papers , owner and editor of the first American daily newspaper, textbook author, a founder of Amherst College, promoter of the first US copyright laws, and author of one of the first works on epidemiology, used by nineteenth-century medical schools .

But his 1828 dictionary is what he’s remembered for, coming at a tremendous personal cost: twenty-one years invested, and a lifelong struggle with debt. In his preface to the three-volume work, he writes of his hopes that the dictionary will result in his fellow Americans’ “improvement and their happiness; and for the continued increase of the wealth, the learning, the moral and religious elevation of character, and the glory of my country.”

We have annotated his preface below, with scholarship covering Webster’s life and works, as well as education in the early republic, his debt to Samuel Johnson, and the dictionary’s reception at publication. As always, these linked resources are free to read and download.

_______________________________

In the year 1783, just at the close of the revolution, I published an elementary book for facilitating the acquisition of our vernacular tongue , and for correcting a vicious pronunciation, which prevailed extensively among the common people of this country . Soon after the publication of that work, I believe in the following year, that learned and respectable scholar, the Rev. Dr. Goodrich of Durham, one of the trustees of Yale College , suggested to me, the propriety and expediency of my compiling a dictionary, which should complete a system for the instruction of the citizens of this country in the language . At that time, I could not indulge the thought, much less the hope, of undertaking such a work; as I was neither qualified by research, nor had I the means of support, during the execution of the work, had I been disposed to undertake it. For many years therefore, though I considered such a work as very desirable, yet it appeared to me impracticable; as I was under the necessity of devoting my time to other occupations for obtaining subsistence.

About twenty-seven years ago, I began to think of attempting the compilation of a Dictionary . I was induced to this undertaking, not more by the suggestion of friends, than by my own experience of the want of such a work, while reading modern books of science . In this pursuit, I found almost insuperable difficulties, from the want of a dictionary, for explaining many new words, which recent discoveries in the physical sciences had introduced into use. To remedy this defect in part, I published my Compendious Dictionary in 1806 ; and soon after made preparations for undertaking a larger work.

My original design did not extend to an investigation of the origin and progress of our language ; much less of other languages. I limited my views to the correcting of certain errors in the best English Dictionaries, and to the supplying of words in which they are deficient. But after writing through two letters of the alphabet, I determined to change my plan. I found myself embarrassed, at every step , for want of a knowledge of the origin of words, which Johnson , Bailey, Junius, Skinner and some other authors do not afford the means of obtaining. Then laying aside my manuscripts, and all books treating of language, except lexicons and dictionaries, I endeavored, by a diligent comparison of words, having the same or cognate radical letters, in about twenty languages, to obtain a more correct knowledge of the primary sense of original words , of the affinities between the English and many other languages, and thus to enable myself to trace words to their source.

I had not pursued this course more than three or four years, before I discovered that I had to unlearn a great deal that I had spent years in learning, and that it was necessary for me to go back to the first rudiments of a branch of erudition, which I had before cultivated, as I had supposed, with success.

I spent ten years in this comparison of radical words , and in forming a synopsis of the principal words in twenty languages, arranged in classes, under their primary elements or letters. The result has been to open what are to me new views of language, and to unfold what appear to be the genuine principles on which these languages are constructed.

After completing this synopsis, I proceeded to correct what I had written of the Dictionary, and to complete the remaining part of the work. But before I had finished it, I determined on a voyage to Europe, with the view of obtaining some books and some assistance which I wanted; of learning the real state of the pronunciation of our language in England, as well as the general state of philology in that country; and of attempting to bring about some agreement or coincidence of opinions, in regard to unsettled points in pronunciation and grammatical construction . In some of these objects I failed; in others, my designs were answered.

It is not only important, but, in a degree necessary, that the people of this country, should have an American Dictionary of the English Language ; for, although the body of the language is the same as in England, and it is desirable to perpetuate that sameness, yet some differences must exist. Language is the expression of ideas; and if the people of one country cannot preserve an identity of ideas, they cannot retain an identity of language. Now an identity of ideas depends materially upon a sameness of things or objects with which the people of the two countries are conversant. But in no two portions of the earth, remote from each other, can such identity be found. Even physical objects must be different. But the principal differences between the people of this country and of all others, arise from different forms of government, different laws, institutions and customs . Thus the practice of hawking and hunting, the institution of heraldry, and the feudal system of England originated terms which formed, and some of which now form, a necessary part of the language of that country; but, in the United States, many of these terms are no part of our present language,—and they cannot be, for the things which they express do not exist in this country. They can be known to us only as obsolete or as foreign words. On the other hand, the institutions in this country which are new and peculiar, give rise to new terms or to new applications of old terms, unknown to the people of England; which cannot be explained by them and which will not be inserted in their dictionaries, unless copied from ours. Thus the terms, land-office ; land-warrant ; locution of land ; consociation of churches; regent of a university; intendant of a city; plantation , selectmen , senate , congress , court , assembly , escheat , &c. are either words not belonging to the language of England, or they are applied to things in this country which do not exist in that. No person in this country will be satisfied with the English definitions of the words congress , senate and assembly , court , &c. for although these are words used in England, yet they are applied in this country to express ideas which they do not express in that country. With our present constitutions of government, escheat can never have its feudal sense in the United States.

But this is not all. In many cases, the nature of our governments, and of our civil institutions, requires an appropriate language in the definition of words, even when the words express the same thing, as in England. Thus the English Dictionaries inform us that a Justice is one deputed by the King to do right by way of judgment—he is a Lord by his office—Justices of the peace are appointed by the King’s commission —language which is inaccurate in respect to this officer in the United States. So constitutionally is defined by Todd or Chalmers, legally, but in this country the distinction between constitution and law requires a different definition. In the United States, a plantation is a very different thing from what it is in England. The word marshal , in this country, has one important application unknown in England or in Europe.

A great number of words in our language require to be defined in a phraseology accommodated to the condition and institutions of the people in these states, and the people of England must look to an American Dictionary for a correct understanding of such terms.

The necessity therefore of a Dictionary suited to the people of the United States is obvious ; and I should suppose that this fact being admitted, there could be no difference of opinion as to the time , when such a work ought to be substituted for English Dictionaries.

There are many other considerations of a public nature, which serve to justify this attempt to furnish an American Work which shall be a guide to the youth of the United States . Most of these are too obvious to require illustration.

One consideration however which is dictated by my own feelings, but which I trust will meet with approbation in correspondent feelings in my fellow citizens, ought not to be passed in silence. It is this. “The chief glory of a nation,” says Dr. Johnson, “arises from its authors.” With this opinion deeply impressed on my mind, I have the same ambition which actuated that great man when he expressed a wish to give celebrity to Bacon, to Hooker, to Milton and to Boyle.

I do not indeed expect to add celebrity to the names of Franklin, Washington, Adams, Jay, Madison, Marshall, Ramsay, Dwight, Smith, Trumbull, Hamilton, Belknap, Ames, Mason, Kent, Hare, Silliman, Cleaveland, Walsh, Irving , and many other Americans distinguished by their writings or by their science ; but it is with pride and satisfaction, that I can place them, as authorities, on the same page with those of Boyle , Hooker , Milton , Dryden , Addison , Ray , Milner , Cowper , Davy , Thomson and Jameson .

A life devoted to reading and to an investigation of the origin and principles of our vernacular language, and especially a particular examination of the best English writers, with a view to a comparison of their style and phraseology, with those of the best American writers, and with our colloquial usage, enables me to affirm with confidence, that the genuine English idiom is as well preserved by the unmixed English of this country, as it is by the best English writers. Examples to prove this fact will be found in the Introduction to this work. It is true, that many of our writers have neglected to cultivate taste, and the embellishments of style; but even these have written the language in its genuine idiom . In this respect, Franklin and Washington, whose language is their hereditary mother tongue, unsophisticated by modern grammar, present as pure models of genuine English, as Addison or Swift. But I may go farther, and affirm, with truth, that our country has produced some of the best models of composition. The style of President Smith; of the authors of the Federalist; of Mr. Ames; of Dr. Mason; of Mr. Harper; of Chancellor Kent; [the prose] of Mr. Barlow; of the legal decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States; of the reports of legal decisions in some of the particular states; and many other writings; in purity, in elegance and in technical precision, is equaled only by that of the best British authors, and surpassed by that of no English compositions of a similar kind.

The United States commenced their existence under circumstances wholly novel and unexampled in the history of nations . They commenced with civilization, with learning, with science, with constitutions of free government, and with that best gift of God to man, the christian religion. Their population is now equal to that of England; in arts and sciences, our citizens are very little behind the most enlightened people on earth; in some respects, they have no superiors; and our language, within two centuries, will be spoken by more people in this country, than any other language on earth, except the Chinese, in Asia, and even that may not be an exception.

It has been my aim in this work, now offered to my fellow citizens, to ascertain the true principles of the language, in its orthography and structure; to purify it from some palpable errors, and reduce the number of its anomalies, thus giving it more regularity and consistency in its forms, both of words and sentences; and in this manner, to furnish a standard of our vernacular tongue, which we shall not be ashamed to bequeath to three hundred millions of people, who are destined to occupy, and I hope, to adorn the vast territory within our jurisdiction .

If the language can be improved in regularity, so as to be more easily acquired by our own citizens, and by foreigners, and thus be rendered a more useful instrument for the propagation of science, arts, civilization and Christianity; if it can be rescued from the mischievous influence of sciolists and that dabbling spirit of innovation which is perpetually disturbing its settled usages and filling it with anomalies; if, in short, our vernacular language can be redeemed from corruptions, and our philology and literature from degradation; it would be a source of great satisfaction to me to be one among the instruments of promoting these valuable objects . If this object cannot be effected, and my wishes and hopes are to be frustrated, my labor will be lost, and this work must sink into oblivion.

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This Dictionary, like all others of the kind, must be left, in some degree, imperfect ; for what individual is competent to trace to their source, and define in all their various applications, popular, scientific and technical, sixty or seventy thousand words! It satisfies my mind that I have done all that my health, my talents and my pecuniary means would enable me to accomplish . I present it to my fellow citizens, not with frigid indifference, but with my ardent wishes for their improvement and their happiness; and for the continued increase of the wealth, the learning, the moral and religious elevation of character, and the glory of my country.

To that great and benevolent Being , who, during the preparation of this work, has sustained a feeble constitution, amidst obstacles and toils, disappointments, infirmities and depression; who has twice borne me and my manuscripts in safety across the Atlantic, and given me strength and resolution to bring the work to a close, I would present the tribute of my most grateful acknowledgments . And if the talent which he entrusted to my care, has not been put to the most profitable use in his service, I hope it has not been ” kept laid up in a napkin,” and that any misapplication of it may be graciously forgiven.

New Haven, 1828.—N.WEBSTER.

[Text taken from the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/americandictiona01websrich/page/3/mode/1up ]

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Meaning of assignment in Essential American English Dictionary

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(Definition of assignment from the Webster's Essential Mini Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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