As*size" (?), n. [OE. assise,
asise, OF. assise, F. assises, assembly of judges, the
decree pronounced by them, tax, impost, fr. assis, assise, p.
p. of asseoir, fr. L. assid?re to sit by; ad +
sedēre to sit. See Sit, Size, and cf.
Excise, Assess.] 1. An assembly of
knights and other substantial men, with a bailiff or justice, in a certain
place and at a certain time, for public business. [Obs.]
2. (Law) (a) A special kind
of jury or inquest. (b) A kind of writ or real
action. (c) A verdict or finding of a jury upon
such writ. (d) A statute or ordinance in
general. Specifically: (1) A statute regulating the weight, measure, and
proportions of ingredients and the price of articles sold in the market;
as, the assize of bread and other provisions; (2) A statute fixing
the standard of weights and measures. (e)
Anything fixed or reduced to a certainty in point of time, number,
quantity, quality, weight, measure, etc.; as, rent of assize.
Glanvill. Spelman. Cowell. Blackstone.
Tomlins. Burrill. [This term is not now used in England in
the sense of a writ or real action, and seldom of a jury of any kind, but
in Scotch practice it is still technically applied to the jury in criminal
cases. Stephen. Burrill. Erskine.] (f)
A court, the sitting or session of a court, for the trial of
processes, whether civil or criminal, by a judge and jury.
Blackstone. Wharton. Encyc. Brit. (g)
The periodical sessions of the judges of the superior courts in every
county of England for the purpose of administering justice in the trial and
determination of civil and criminal cases; -- usually in the plural.
Brande. Wharton. Craig. Burrill.
(h) The time or place of holding the court of assize;
-- generally in the plural, assizes.
3. Measure; dimension; size. [In this sense
now corrupted into size.]
An hundred cubits high by just assize.
Spenser.
[Formerly written, as in French, assise.]
As*size", v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Assized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Assizing.] [From Assize, n.: cf. LL.
assisare to decree in assize. Cf. Asses,
v.] 1. To assess; to value; to
rate. [Obs.] Gower.
2. To fix the weight, measure, or price of, by an
ordinance or regulation of authority. [Obs.]