▪ I. assist, v.
(əˈsɪst)
Also 6 assyst.
[a. F. assiste-r (15th c. in Littré), ad. L. assist-ĕre, f. ad-, as- to + sistĕre to take one's stand.]
I. To stand to or by; to be present.
† 1. intr. To take one's stand to or towards a place; fig. to stand to, abide by (an opinion). Obs.
| c 1565 R. Lindsay Chron. Scot. (1728) 2 A great Part of the Nobility assisted to his Opinion. 1646 J. G[regory] Notes & Obs. (1650) 74 Assisting especially..to the East. |
† 2. trans. To stand or remain near, to stand by; to attend, escort. Obs.
| 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. clvii. [cliii.] 429 The quenes lytter..was assysted with the duke of Thourayne, and the duke of Burbone. a 1650 Crashaw Sospetto d'Her. ix, Three vigorous virgins, waiting still behind, Assist the throne of th' iron-sceptred king. |
† 3. a. trans. To take one's place with (a person), join, accompany, attend. Also absol. Obs.
| 1553 T. Wilson Rhet. ii b, It was no mastery for David, beyng assisted with God..to overthrowe this one man. 1607 Shakes. Cor. v. vi. 156 Yet he shall haue a noble Memory. Assist. 1610 ― Temp. i. i. 57 The King, and Prince, at prayers, let's assist them. |
† b. To attend upon (a sick person or the period of his illness) with religious ministrations. (Cf. F. assister un malade: lui donner des soins; l'exhorter à bien mourir. Littré.) Obs. rare.
| 1664 Evelyn Freart's Archit. Ep. Ded. 18 His Sickness..was assisted by his Director the R. P. de Sainct Jure. |
4. a. intr. To be present (at a ceremony, entertainment, etc.), whether simply as a spectator, or taking part in the proceedings. (In the former case, ‘to be present at without taking part in,’ now treated as a French idiom.)
| 1626 C. Potter Father Paul's Hist. i. 32 The Counsellors assembled to assist at a solemn Masse. 1705 Addison Italy (1767) 29 The Duke of Lorrain used often to assist at their midnight devotions. 1765 Wilkes Corr. (1805) II. 163 Last Saturday I assisted at the great festival. 1837 J. H. Newman Proph. Office Ch. 96, I quote the words of Cornelius Mussus..who assisted at the Council of Trent. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 53 The congregation may be said to assist as spectators rather than as auditors. 1854 Thackeray Newcomes II. 103 The dinner at which we have just assisted. 18.. Dickens Seven Poor Trav. 12 And assisted—in the French sense—at the performance of two waltzes. 1873 Q. Rev. CXXXV. 183 The sane and sober must simply ‘assist,’ in the French sense, i.e. stand by and say nothing. |
† b. Const. to (after Fr. assister à). Obs.
| 1603 Florio Montaigne (1634) 392 Having all day long assisted to the ceremonies, and publike banket. 1677 Govt. Venice 229 Three Senators always assisting in the Prince's name to all Transactions and Decrees of that Court. |
† 5. trans. To be present at, take part in. Obs.
| 1603 Florio Montaigne ii. xii. (1632) 292 Wont to sacrifice their owne children..and with cheerefull and pleasant countenance to assist that office. |
II. To aid, help.
6. trans. To help, aid: a. a person in doing something; frequently with adv. or advb. phr. denoting that in which the assistance is given. b. a person in necessity; c. an action, process, or result. To second, support; to succour, relieve; to further, promote.
| 1547 J. Heywood Wit. & Folly (1846) 25 To assyst man gods comandments to fulfyll. 1683 Brit. Spec. 77 Displeased with them for having assisted the rebellious Gauls. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 27 ¶6 When I assist a friendless Person. 1711 Pope Rape Lock v. 56 The sprites survey The growing combat, or assist the fray. 1777 Sir W. Jones Seven Fount. 52 He read, assisted by a taper's ray. 1837 E. Howard Old Commodore I. v. 186 Assist the chaplain down the poop-ladder. 1843 Lever Jack Hinton xxv, He assisted me on with my great-coat. Ibid. xxvii, As I assisted her from the carriage, I could not but mark the flashing brilliancy of her eye. 1855 ― Sir Jasper Carew xxix, He assisted me off with my coat. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. §24. 170 A desire to..assist me in my observations. 1864 Mrs. Gaskell Wives & Dau. (1866) I. v. 47 ‘May I help you to potatoes?’ or, as Mr. Wynne would persevere in saying, ‘May I assist you to potatoes?’ 1881 Mrs. J. H. Riddell Senior Partner II. xi. 228 ‘It's no use my trying to put in a friendly oar’, said Mr. McCullagh, assisted perhaps to this last figure of speech by the sight of an outrigger spinning down the stream. a 1885 Mod. Rest assists digestion. The rumours will not assist his election. ‘Could you assist a poor man with a copper, Sir?’ 1924 Rose Macaulay Orphan Island xi, Miss Smith..was assisted from her hammock. |
7. a. absol. and intr.
| 1514 Barclay Cyt. & Uplondyshm. 10 Whan God assysteth, man worketh not for nought! 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iv. xv. 31 Helpe me, my women..Assist. good Friends. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 9 If Heav'n assist, and Phœbus hear my call. |
b. with (to obs.) in or inf.
| 1649 J. Kent in Ellis Orig. Lett. ii. 295 III. 340 The ordinary hangman..was commanded to assist to the King's death. 1704 Nelson Fest. & Fast., St. James Collect ii. (T.) That they might mutually assist to the support of each other. a 1745 Broome Notes to Odyss. (J.) She agreed to assist in the murder of her husband. 1860 Froude Hist. Eng. V. xxiv. 33 Barlow..whose indiscretion had already assisted to ruin Cromwell. |
c. Of the dealer's partner in the game of euchre: to order the adoption of the suit of the card turned up as trump.
| 1878 Encycl. Brit. VIII. 654/2 If the first hand passes, the second may say ‘I assist’, which means that the dealer (his partner) is to take up the trump. Ibid. 655/1 A player can declare to play alone when he or his partner orders up, or when his partner assists. |
▪ II. aˈssist, n. Now chiefly N.Amer.
[f. prec.]
1. a. An act of assistance; aid, help.
| 1597 G. Markham Devoreux f. 15{supr}, st. 84, I hop'd, by her assist, this fourth Henrie. 1607 Day Trav. 3 Eng. Brothers (1881) 6 Now your asists To helpe the entrance of our history. |
| 1923 Daily Mail 5 May 8 The supporting bid, the assist,..and ‘the switch’ assume a new value. 1957 W. H. Whyte Organ. Man viii. 107 An assist from others can help a lot. 1958 B. Ulanov Hist. Jazz vii. 73 He usually played second cornet back of Oliver's lead, an alternately delicate assist and blasting support. 1966 New Yorker 4 June 18 (Advt.), Credit Hart Schaffner & Marx tailors with a skilful assist. |
b. With qualifying word: a device, power, or force that provides assistance (to a system or an operation), esp. as power assist. orig. U.S.
| 1967 Automotive World Apr. 22/2 The conventional hydraulic brakes are still effective, even when the power assist from the vacuum system fails. 1969 New Yorker 1 Nov. 10/2 (Advt.), Grand luxury car... Pampers you with a full range of power assists. 1972 Sci. Amer. Jan. 46/1 A favorable planetary alignment enabling a spacecraft to receive a gravity assist from Jupiter. 1979 Ibid. Feb. 26/3 The good landlord..serves mild and bitter at the needed rate with a beer engine or with a power assist. 1985 Which Computer? Apr. 46 The system offers a wide range of standard reporting functions and operator assists. |
2. a. Baseball. ‘The act of a player who handles the ball in assisting to put an opposing player out; also the credit given by the scorer to a player so assisting’ (Dict. Americanisms).
| 1877 Constit. Nat. League Baseball 40 An assist should be given to each player who handles the ball in a run-out or other play of this kind. 1896 Knowles & Morton Baseball 101 The fielder who handles the ball in sufficient time to aid in retiring a base-runner is credited with an assist. 1917 C. Mathewson Sec. Base Sloan xiv. 187 Five strike-outs, three assists and no errors was considered a fine record. |
b. Also in Ice Hockey, the act of taking a direct part in the action (esp. by making the scoring pass) which results in a team-mate scoring a goal; the credit awarded for this. Similarly in other sports. N. Amer.
| 1925 Mail & Empire 9 Feb. 8/1 He attacked continuously and was rewarded by two goals and an assist. 1934 F. Hewitt Down Ice xi. 124 When a player scores a goal an ‘assist’ shall be credited to any player taking part in the play leading up to the scoring of the goal... An assist cannot be credited to any player when a goal is scored from a rebound off a goal-keeper. 1955 Spectator (Hamilton, Ont.) 25 Jan. 15/4 Montreal Canadiens..collect more assists per goal than any other club. 1967 Boston Herald 1 Mar. 16/1 K. C. Jones was the top play⁓maker with 12 assists. 1977 Time 12 Sept. 45/1 It was an unheralded Briton..who led the Cosmos to victory in Soccer Bowl-77 with a goal and an assist. 1984 Toronto Star 28 Mar. b4/1 Barry Pederson scored four goals..and added an assist. |