Assignare

Assignare is a Latin verb meaning to assign, designate, or appoint; to set apart or allot something to someone. In classical and late antique Latin, it appears in legal and administrative prose to express the act of designating a person to a duty, distributing property, or fixing a portion of resources.

Etymology and cognates: The word is derived from a root related to marking (sign-), formed with a prefix that reinforces the sense of bringing about or completing the action. Its descendants include the Romance languages’ forms such as Italian assegnare, Spanish asignar, and French assigner. These in turn gave rise to modern terms like assignment and assignation in English, and related verbs in Italian, Spanish, French, and other Romance languages.

Forms and grammar: The verb appears in the regular first conjugation as assigno, assignare, assignavi, assignatum. The noun assignatio denotes an assignment or allotment; the passive form assignari means “to be assigned” or “to be designated.” In Latin you may also encounter related nouns such as assignatio or designation concepts used in legal and administrative texts.

Usage in language: In Latin, assignare was used to designate lands, offices, or duties and to fix the terms of a grant or obligation. In modern Italian, the cognate assegnare covers a broad range of meanings, including designating tasks, allotting housing, or assigning grades or duties (for example, assegnare compiti, assegnazione). In English and other languages, derivatives such as assignment (the act of assigning, or a legal transfer of rights) come from the same root. The term appears in legal and bureaucratic contexts across Romance languages with closely related senses.

Related terms include assignment, assignation, assignor, and assignee.