Assessment

How to spell assessment

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce assessment

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does assessment mean?

1. nounA considered judgement or evaluation of the quality, value, or nature of something.
2. nounThe official calculation of an amount to be paid, such as tax, a fee, or a charge.

Assessment in a sentence

• The surveyor completed a full assessment of the building before the sale.

• The council issued a revised property assessment this spring.

• The doctor ordered a risk assessment before approving the operation.

• Homeowners can appeal their annual tax assessment within thirty days.

Where does assessment come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word descends from the Latin verb assidere, which literally meant 'to sit beside' or 'to sit by', formed from ad ('to, beside') and sedere ('to sit'). In Roman legal practice an assessor was someone who sat beside a judge to advise on technical matters, and from there the idea of officially fixing or valuing something developed. The verb 'assess' entered English in the late 1300s through Old French assesser, originally meaning to set or fix the amount of a tax or fine. The noun 'assessment' was built on it with the suffix -ment and at first referred to the valuation of property for taxation before broadening to mean any considered judgement or appraisal. The same sedere root sits, fittingly, inside relatives such as 'session', 'sedentary', and 'reside'. The double s in the middle is the spelling trap, and remembering the buried Latin sess (from sitting) can help fix it in mind.

How the word is built

• as- (assimilated form of ad-, meaning 'to' or 'beside')
• sess (from Latin sedere, 'to sit')
• -ment (noun suffix forming a result or action)