Definition of assert

< assentation

asserted >

as·sert    (-sûrt) KEY 

TRANSITIVE VERB:
as·sert·ed, as·sert·ing, as·serts

1. To state or express positively; affirm: asserted his innocence.
2. To defend or maintain (one's rights, for example).

IDIOM:
assert oneself

To act boldly or forcefully, especially in defending one's rights or stating an opinion.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Latin asserere, assert- : ad-, ad- + serere, to join; see ser-² in Indo-European roots

OTHER FORMS:
as·serta·ble or as·serti·ble(Adjective), as·serter or as·sertor(Noun)