1
a
: a judicial inquest
b
: an action to be decided by such an inquest, the writ for instituting it, or the verdict or finding rendered by the jury
2
a
: the former periodical sessions of the superior courts in English counties for trial 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
Examples of assize in a Sentence
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Rather than being tried in an assize court, whose judges tended not to be very religious, Clarke was tried by a presiding judge who was a strict Puritan, a slave-trafficker, and a notoriously cruel admiral.
—
Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024
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Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near assize
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“Assize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assize. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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assize
noun
as·size
ə-ˈsīz 
: a session of an English court formerly held by judges traveling through various counties
—usually used in plural
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