assist

Etymology

From Middle English assisten, from Old French assister (“to assist, to attend”), from Latin assistō (“stand at, bestand”, verb).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈsɪst/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: as‧sist
• Rhymes: -ɪst

Verb

assist (third-person singular simple present assists, present participle assisting, simple past and past participle assisted)

1. To help.

   This book will assist you in getting your life in order.

   Tutor feedback assists the learning process.

   • 2012 April 15, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham 1-5 Chelsea”, in BBC‎:

     The referee seemed well placed to award the goal, but video evidence suggested the protests were well founded and the incident only strengthens the case of those lobbying for technology to assist officials.

2. (sports) To make a pass that leads directly towards scoring.
3. (medicine) To help compensate for what is missing with the help of a medical technique or therapy.
4. (archaic) To stand (at a place) or to (an opinion).

   A great part of the nobility assisted to his opinion.

5. (now archaic) To be present (at an event, occasion etc.).
   • 1789, Edward Gibbon, Memoirs of My Life, Penguin, published 1990, page 138:

     I assisted with pleasure at the representation of several tragedies and comedies.

   • 1967, The Rev. Loren Gavitt (ed.), Saint Augustine's Prayer Book: A Book of Devotion for members of the Episcopal Church, revised edition, West Park, NY: Holy Cross Publications, p. 8:

     To assist at Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation.

Noun

assist (plural assists)

1. A helpful action or an act of giving.

   The foundation gave a much needed assist to the shelter.

2. (sports) The act of helping another player score points or goals
   1. (soccer) A decisive pass made to the goal scorer
      • 2016 January 1, David Hytner, “Mesut Özil has Arsenal daring to dream of Premier League glory”, in The Guardian‎:

        Özil has 16 assists in the Premier League and three goals; he has two more goals in the Champions League. On Monday, he took Bournemouth apart in the 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium, setting up the first for Gabriel and scoring the second himself.

   2. (baseball) A defensive play, allowing a teammate to record a putout.

      He had two assists in the game.

Anagrams

• asisst, stasis, Stassi, sistas, -stasis