assist

assist
\ \ [15] Etymologically, assist means ‘stand by’. It comes, via French assister, from Latin assistere, a compound verb formed from the prefix ad- ‘near’ and sisterestand’ (related to Latin stārestand’, from which English gets state, station, status, statue, etc). A remnant of this original meaning survives in the sense ‘be present without actually participating’, but the main use of the word in English has always been that which came from the metaphorical sense of the Latin verb – ‘help’.
\ \ Cf.STATE, STATION, STATUE, STATUS

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Assist — or ASSIST may refer to:In sport: *Action by a player leading to a score by another player: **Assist (basketball) **Assist (ice hockey) **Assist (football) (soccer) **Assist (water polo) *Assist (baseball) is awarded to every defensive player who… …   Wikipedia

  • assist — UK US /əˈsɪst/ verb ► [I or T] to help somebody or help with something: assist (sb) with sth »The coordinator will assist the director with all aspects of event planning. assist (sb) in doing sth »The prospectus provides detailed information that …   Financial and business terms

  • assist — I verb abet, accommodate, act as assistant to, administer to, afford aid, aid, auxiliari, back, be of help, be of use, come to the aid of, cooperate with, do a service, endorse, foster, furnish aid, further, give a hand, give aid, give support,… …   Law dictionary

  • assist — has the same meaning as help, and shares the same grammatical constructions. In many contexts the two words are interchangeable, but help is usually preferable, assist being, in Fowler s term (1926), a ‘genteelism’ to be avoided. However, assist… …   Modern English usage

  • Assist — As*sist , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Assisted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Assisting}.] [L. assistere; ad + sistere to cause to stand, to stand, from stare to stand: cf. F. assister. See {Stand}.] To give support to in some undertaking or effort, or in time of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Assist — As*sist , v. i. 1. To lend aid; to help. [1913 Webster] With God not parted from him, as was feared, But favoring and assisting to the end. Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. To be present as a spectator; as, to assist at a public meeting. [A Gallicism]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • assist — /ˈassist, ingl. əˈsɪst/ [lett. «assistere»] s. m. inv. passaggio da gol …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • assist — [n] help abetment, aid, assistance, backing, benefit, boost, collaboration, comfort, compensation, cooperation, facilitation, furtherance, hand, helping hand, lift, reinforcement, relief, service, support; concept 110 Ant. hindrance, hurt, stop,… …   New thesaurus

  • assist — [ə sist′] vt. [ME assisten < OFr assister < L assistere < ad , to + sistere, to make stand < stare, to STAND] 1. to give help to; aid 2. to work with as a helper or assistant vi. to give help; aid n. 1. an instance or act of helping …   English World dictionary

  • assist — {{hw}}{{assist}}{{/hw}}(sport) Nel basket e nel calcio, ultimo passaggio che dà, a chi lo riceve, buone possibilità di segnare …   Enciclopedia di italiano

  • assist — *help, aid Analogous words: *support, uphold, back, champion: profit, avail, *benefit: attend, *accompany, escort: cooperate, concur (see UNITE) Antonyms: hamper: impede Contrasted words: * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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