Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One that assists; a helper.
  • adjective Holding an auxiliary position; subordinate.
  • adjective Giving aid; auxiliary.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Assisting; hence, subordinate in rank; specifically, as an official designation, occupying the next lower grade: as, an assistant adjutant-general.
  • Standing by; present; accompanying.
  • Present to help; helpful; aiding or fitted to aid and support; auxiliary: with to.
  • noun One who stands by; a bystander; one who takes part in anything: usually in the plural.
  • noun One who stands by to help; one who helps; a helper; an auxiliary; specifically, one who is associated with another as an auxiliary in carrying on some systematic work or undertaking, or in discharging the duties of an office: as, the harbor-master and his assistants; a bookkeeper's assistant.
  • noun An official auxiliary to the father-general of the Jesuits. Erroneously called adjutant-general.
  • noun [Sp. asistente.] The chief officer of justice at Seville.
  • noun In the Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth colonies, one of the elected councilors who constituted the governor's council and the upper house of the legislature. The number of assistants in the former was eighteen; in the latter, originally five, later seven.
  • noun In dyeing, a substance, such as tartaric acid, acetate of lime, or sulphate of soda, added to the dye-bath, to effect a brightening of the color.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One who, or that which, assists; a helper; an auxiliary; a means of help.
  • noun An attendant; one who is present.
  • adjective Helping; lending aid or support; auxiliary.
  • adjective (Mil.), U.S. Of the second grade in the staff of the army.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Having a subordinate or auxiliary position.
  • noun obsolete Someone who is present; a bystander, a witness.
  • noun A person who assists or helps someone else.
  • noun UK Sales assistant.
  • noun A software tool that provides assistance in some task.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective of or relating to a person who is subordinate to another
  • noun a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French assistant, from assister.

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Examples

  • She is currently a term assistant professor of psychology at Barnard College and continues to research dog behavior.

    INSIDE OF A DOG ALEXANDRA HOROWITZ 2009

  • She is currently a term assistant professor of psychology at Barnard College and continues to research dog behavior.

    INSIDE OF A DOG ALEXANDRA HOROWITZ 2009

  • The author of "Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know" and a term assistant professor of psychology at Barnard College.

    NYT > Home Page By ALEXANDRA HOROWITZ 2011

  • Lightman's main assistant is the ever-cheerful Gillian Foster (Williams), whose strength is figuring out why people lie.

    Fox's 'Lie to Me' is truly well-done, if a bit familiar 2009

  • I am a textile designer, under the title assistant designer at a western wear company.i suggest using Illustrator for creating repeats.

    Little Match Girl - A Dress A Day 2008

  • In a small district such as that one, the term assistant superintendent means I did a little bit of everything, from transportation, instruction, technology and everything.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2010

  • In a small district such as that one, the term assistant superintendent means I did a little bit of everything, from transportation, instruction, technology and everything.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2010

  • In a small district such as that one, the term assistant superintendent means I did a little bit of everything, from transportation, instruction, technology and everything.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2010

  • In a small district such as that one, the term assistant superintendent means I did a little bit of everything, from transportation, instruction, technology and everything.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2010

  • In a small district such as that one, the term assistant superintendent means I did a little bit of everything, from transportation, instruction, technology and everything.

    Sand Mountain Reporter: News 2010

Comments

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  • Perhaps I should help the bug out?

    December 25, 2009