Definition

1. Noun:
   • A session or sitting of a court: Historically, an "assize" refers to a court session held periodically in specific locations, typically dealing with serious criminal cases and certain civil disputes.
   • A law or ordinance, especially one regulating weights, measures, or prices: In a historical context, an "assize" could be a legislative enactment that set standards for commodities like bread and ale, or fixed their prices.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The judge traveled from town to town to hold the assize.
  • The king issued an assize to standardize the measure of grain throughout the realm.

Advanced Usage

• "Court of Assize": A historical court with jurisdiction over serious crimes.
  • The prisoner was tried at the Court of Assize for the county.
• "The Great Assize": A theological term referring to the Final Judgment.
  • The sermon focused on the solemnity of the Great Assize.

Variants and Related Words

• Assizes (plural noun): The periodic court sessions themselves.
  • The Summer Assizes were known for their heavy caseload.
• Assizer (noun, historical): An official who enforced assize regulations on weights and measures.

Synonyms

• Session (as in a court session).
• Enactment (as in a law or decree).
• Ordinance (a authoritative rule or law).

Related Phrases

• To hold an assize: To convene or conduct such a court session.
  • The justices will hold an assize next month.

Related Idioms

• The last great assize: An idiom referencing the final judgment of humankind, often used in a religious or moral context.
  • He spoke of life's choices as preparation for the last great assize.

Noun

1. an ancient writ issued by a court of assize to the sheriff for the recovery of property
2. the regulation of weights and measures of articles offered for sale