assist
pronunciation
How to pronounce assist in British English:
UK [əˈsɪst]
How to pronounce assist in American English:
US [əˈsɪst]
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- Noun:
- the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
- (sports) the act of enabling another player to make a good play
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- Verb:
- give help or assistance; be of service
- act as an assistant in a subordinate or supportive function
- work for or be a servant to
Word Origin
- 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 sistere ‘stand’ (related to Latin stāre ‘stand’, 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’.=> state, station, statue, status
- assist (v.)
- early 15c., from Middle French assister "to stand by, help, put, place, assist" (14c.), from Latin assistere "stand by, take a stand near, attend," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + sistere "stand still, take a stand; to set, place, cause to stand," from PIE *si-st-, reduplicated form of root *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Related: Assisted; assisting. Medical assisted suicide attested from 1884.
- assist (n.)
- 1570s, "an act of assistance," from assist (v.). In the sporting sense attested 1877 in baseball, 1925 in ice hockey.
Example
- 1. 5 Let your child assist you with bathing and grooming your pet .
- 2. We need to assist existing institutions to perform effectively .
- 3. But it has done one thing to assist astronomers .
- 4. To assist with this , regularly practice relaxation and / or meditation strategies .
- 5. Instead of making customers trek to a separate help area , try to assist them with tips and instructions inline or in context .