assess
Definitions
To judge or estimate the value, quality, importance, or size of something.
评估，评定（价值、质量、重要性或规模）。
To decide and set the amount of a tax, fine, or charge.
核定、征收（税款、罚款或费用）。
Root Breakdown
Native Englishas- (a form of ad-, 'beside') + sess (sit) = 'to sit beside.' Latin assidēre meant to sit beside someone — and a Roman tax official (an assessor) literally sat beside the judge to set the amount each citizen owed. From 'sitting beside to fix a tax' came the modern sense: to weigh up and judge a value.
Root sit still carries 98 more wordsWhy It Means This
It's easy to forget assess is a 'sitting' word. The link runs through the assessor — the official who sat beside the magistrate to value property and fix taxes. That image (a careful person seated, weighing numbers) is still alive in today's meaning: assessing is deliberate, considered judgment, not a snap guess.
Common Collocations
- 1.assess the situation评估情况
- 2.assess performance评估表现
- 3.assess risk评估风险
Example Sentences
- 1.
The teacher assesses each student's progress at the end of term.
- 2.
We need to assess the damage before filing a claim.
- 3.
The property was assessed at half a million dollars for tax purposes.
- 4.
Take a moment to assess the risks before you decide.
Easily Confused
assess vs evaluate vs appraise — All mean 'judge worth,' but assess often implies measuring against a standard or for a purpose (assess risk, assess tax). evaluate is more neutral and analytical (evaluate the evidence). appraise is for putting a price on something tangible (appraise a painting). Test: money/value of an object → appraise; quality against criteria → assess.