▪ I. assemble, v.1
(əˈsɛmb(ə)l)
Forms: 3–4 asemle, 4 asemble, 5 assemle, -ele, -bill, -myll, 6 -bul, 4– assemble. See also aphet. semble v.1
[a. OF. a(s)semble-r, cogn. with Pr. assemblar, Sp. asemblar, It. assemblare, -brare:—L. ad-, assimulā-re, in its late sense of simul cogĕre, f. ad to + simul together.]
Occas. strengthened by together.
1. trans. To bring together (persons) into one place or company; to gather, collect, convene.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3865 God [bad] semelen folc and gon, And foren hem smiten on ðe ston. 1297 R. Glouc. 360 And amorwe hem lete asemly [printed asely] wyþ mylde herte ynou. a 1330 Otuel 72 Tho lette Garsie asemlen anon, Alle hise sarazins echon. c 1400 Destr. Troy xi. 4577 To assemble on yche side soudiours ynogh. 1529 Rastell Pastyme Brit. (1811) 127 And semblyd an other hoste. 1699 Dryden Knt.'s T. i. 456 Thou mayst..Assemble ours and all the Theban race. 1812 J. & H. Smith Rej. Addr. xiii. (1873) 119 This tenth day of October Again assembles us in Drury Lane. |
2. a. To bring together (things) into one place or mass, to collect; † formerly, to heap up, amass.
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. iii. vii. 80 Yif þou enforcest þe to assemble moneye. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 249/3 Whan thou assemblest peyne thou encreacest his glorye. 1534 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) N vij, They assemble by litel and littell diuers thynges. 1659 J. Leak Water-wks. 24 That the Sun shining upon the said Burning Glasses may assemble the raies of the Sun within the said Vessels. a 1790 Franklin Autobiog., These proverbs..I assembled and formed into a connected discourse. 1855 Bain Senses & Int. iii. ii. §23 We also assemble, into one recollection, many widely scattered periods of our past history. |
b. To put together (the separately manufactured parts of a composite machine or mechanical appliance); also with the machine as obj. Also in extended use.
| 1852 Harper's Mag. V. 158/1 When the several parts are all finished, the operation of putting them together so as to make up the musket from them complete, is called ‘assembling the musket’. 1865 Mech. Mag. 31 Mar. 200/2 When all these parts are assembled together. 1888 Sun 21 Mar. (Farmer), The steel forgings have been made and turned over to our ordnance officers to assemble into guns. 1909 Westm. Gaz. 28 Apr. 2/2 Structural steel is imported punched, riveted, and assembled to be set up. 1909 Ibid. 16 Sept. 5/1 If all the parts are not there when the time comes to assemble the chassis. 1923 Ibid. 15 Sept., Assembling and packing cycle bells. 1961 K. Reisz Technique Film Editing (ed. 9) 278 Assemble, to carry out the first process in film editing, namely, to collect together the required shots and join them in provisional order, thus producing a rough cut. |
† 3. a. To join together, unite (two things or persons, one thing to or with another). Obs.
| 1393 Gower Conf. II. 186 By that cause the godhede Assembled was to the manhede In the virgine. Ibid. III. 107 Assembled with astronomy Is eke that ilke astrology. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour L viij b, Syth that god hath assembled them no man mortal ouȝt to separe them. |
† b. To couple (sexually). Obs.
| c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶831 That thay be assemblid bycause that they ben maried. 1393 Gower Conf. I. 291 Two serpentes in his waie..Assembled were. |
4. refl. in sense of next.
| 1302 Pol. Songs 188 The webbes and the fullaris assembleden hem alle. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron., Þe barnage off Scotland, at þe last, Assemlyd þame. 1611 Bible 1 Kings viii. 2 All the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon. 1801 Strutt Sports & Past. ii. ii. 82 Crowds of people assemble themselves upon the banks. |
5. intr. To come together into one place or company; to gather together, congregate, meet.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 7410 His shepe to-gedir walde assemble samme. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 1364 Þat alle þe grete vpon grounde schulde..assemble at a set day. c 1450 Merlin i. 1 Thei assembleden to-gedir. 1538 Starkey England 52 Cytes and townys, wherto they myght assembul. 1606 G. W[oodcocke] Hist. Justine 79 b, All the women assembled into the Temple of Venus. 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 663 Grey-headed men and grave, with Warriours mixt Assemble. 1791 E. Inchbald Simp. Story IV. x. 132 A confusion of persons a[s]sembling towards the apartment. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 186 Driven from the towns, they assembled on heaths and mountains. 1860 Massey Hist. Eng. III. xxv. 33 The Parliament assembled in November. |
† 6. esp. To meet in fight; to join battle, make an attack or charge. (So in OFr.) Obs.
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 3425 To hem of þe cite a sembled he þanne & fauȝt þan so ferscheli. 1375 Barbour Bruce xv. 421, I sall assembill on hym..All thouch ȝhe hald him neuir sa stout. c 1500 Lancelot 1083 To-giddir thar assemblit al the ost: At whois meting many o knycht was lost. 1513 Douglas æneis x. xii. 112 Athir man assemblit face for face [L. seque viro vir contulit]. |
† 7. trans. To encounter, attack, assail. Obs. rare.
| c 1532 Ld. Berners Huon 613 Then they assembeled Brohart on all sydes. |
▪ II. † aˈssemble, v.2 Obs.
Also 5 assamble.
[a. OF. a(s)semble-r, either referred in meaning to L. assimulāre, adsimilāre to liken (see assimilate); or confused by Englishmen with ressembler: see resemble. Cf. It. assimigliare to resemble, compare.]
To liken, compare; to be like to, resemble.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 114/3 For the world assambleth the see. 1549 Latimer 7 Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 151 Bribes may be assembled to pitch. 1550 Bale Image Both Ch. Sel. Wks. 1849. 379 The other be assembled unto most filthy locusts. |
▪ III. aˈssemble, n. Mil.
[assemble v.1 (sense 5) in the imperative mood, used as the name of a command or signal.]
The second beat of the drum, or other signal, ordering soldiers to strike their tents and stand to their arms. Cf. assembly 9.
| 1883 Army Corps Orders in Standard 22 Mar. 3/3 No bugle sounds are to be used..except the ‘cease fire’ and the ‘assemble.’ |
▪ IV. assemble
obs. form of assembly.