assignment meaning oxford

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Definition of assignment noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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Edited by: Jeremy Butterfield

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In this work.

• Key to the Pronunciation
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• A revision for the twenty-first century
• Acknowledgements
• Dedication, 1926

assignment .  

The main meaning of assignment is now the originally American English one of a task or piece of work allotted to a person. In law it also denotes a legal transfer of a right or property, or the document that effects the transfer. To refer to the action of assigning something to someone, technically either ... ...

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 'assignment' - Complete English Word Reference

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Synonyms of 'assignment', collocations with 'assignment', examples of 'assignment'  in a sentence, translations of 'assignment', 'assignment' in other languages.

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Assignation or Assignment – Difference, Meaning & Examples

Marcus Froland

July 15, 2024

When learning English, it’s natural to find words that seem very similar, but have entirely different meanings. That’s just one of the many challenges that language learners face. Two such words are assignation and assignment . They sound so alike, you might think they’re interchangeable. Yet, they are not.

In this article, we are going to put these two under the spotlight. Our focus is to help you understand the difference between assignation and assignment , provide their meanings, and offer clear examples. It’s about getting you comfortable with these words and helping you use them correctly in your English journey. So, let’s get started!

The critical difference between Assignation and Assignment lies in their usage and context. Assignation primarily refers to an agreement or appointment for a meeting. For instance, “They had an assignation at the coffee shop.” On the other hand, an Assignment refers to a task or duty assigned to someone. For instance, “He completed his math assignment.”

Both terms originate from the verb ‘assign’ but are utilized differently. Assignation is more often used in legal or formal settings, but assignment is common in educational or work contexts. So, if you’re scheduling a secretive meeting, use assignation. But if you’re handing out tasks or duties, use assignment.

Understanding the Meaning of Assignation

The word assignation is rich in meaning, covering everything simple to secret. At its basic level, it means assigning tasks or property. But, it has a more exciting side in stories. Here it often means secret meetings , tied to love or forbidden activities.

Definition of Assignation

Traditionally, assignation is about giving out duties or rights. It’s used in law and history to talk about dividing up or handing out responsibilities. This is like using the word assign in everyday situations. But add a dash of mystery or love, and assignation takes on a new life. It then means secret meetings or private moments.

Examples of Assignation in Sentences

Let’s look at some examples of assignation to get a clear picture:

• In books, an assignation can mean secret meetings between lovers, adding mystery.
• News stories might hint at illicit relationships by mentioning assignation, adding a thrill.
• Old documents might talk about assignation when they discuss dividing land rights, in a more straightforward sense.
• In romantic stories today, a secret meeting in a cafe could be an assignation, hinting at hidden love.

Understanding the Meaning of Assignment

The word assignment holds great importance in various areas. These include education, work, and law. Exploring its meanings helps us understand its wide use and importance.

Definition of Assignment

In schools, an assignment is the work teachers give to students. It helps to check how much students understand and how they perform. At work, assignments are tasks given to employees. These tasks keep the business running smoothly and productively.

In the legal world, an assignment means transferring rights or property . This is key to understand how people can give or receive ownership and duties legally.

Examples of Assignment in Sentences

• For their big project, the students got an academic work challenging them to research and present their findings.
• The boss gave a hard task to the new employee to test how well they manage work under pressure.
• With the contract signed, the ownership officially changed hands through a property transfer .

Understanding assignment in its various forms is crucial. It allows us to be more effective in school, at work, and in legal matters. Recognizing these differences ensures we communicate and act clearly and confidently.

Assignation or Assignment: Key Differences

It’s vital to understand the difference between assignation and assignment for clear communication. The term assignation brings to mind secret or romantic meetings. It can also mean the act of assigning something. Meanwhile, assignment is about giving out tasks, duties, or responsibilities. This is common in school or work.

Assignation and assignment have different uses. Assignation suggests secrecy and is linked with private meetings. On the opposite side, assignment talks about clear duties or legal handovers. It doesn’t have the secret flavor that assignation does.

To avoid confusion, it’s key to know when to use each term. Calling a work task an assignation could suggest something secret or wrong. So, choosing the right word matters:

• Use assignation for secret or love meetings done quietly.
• Use assignment when you mean work tasks or handing over property, in formal or work settings.

Using the right term, assignation or assignment, makes your meaning clear. This way, you won’t confuse anyone.

Using Assignation and Assignment Correctly

It’s key to know how assignation and assignment differ. Each word has its own meaning. Using them right is key to avoid mix-ups.

When to Use Assignation

The word assignation is about secret meetings. These are often for romantic reasons. Books use it to talk about meetings held in private.

It hints at something hidden or confidential. This makes it perfect for talks that need to stay under wraps.

When to Use Assignment

Assignment , on the other hand, is about giving tasks. It’s used in schools, work, and law. For example, it can mean homework or handing over property rights.

This word doesn’t suggest secrets like assignation does. It’s all about structured, formal tasks.

Knowing these differences helps you communicate clearly. Use assignment for tasks, and assignation for secret meet-ups. This keeps your meaning clear and stops any confusion. It’s especially important in professional settings to avoid the wrong idea about secret meetings.

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Definition of assignment

task , duty , job , chore , stint , assignment mean a piece of work to be done.

task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.

duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

Examples of assignment in a Sentence

Word history.

see assign entry 1

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing assignment

• self - assignment

Dictionary Entries Near assignment

Cite this entry.

“Assignment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assignment. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Legal Definition

Legal definition of assignment, more from merriam-webster on assignment.

Nglish: Translation of assignment for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of assignment for Arabic Speakers

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Pronunciation (US):    (GB): 

Ipa (us): .

  Dictionary entry overview: What does assignment mean?  

• ASSIGNMENT (noun)   The noun ASSIGNMENT has 6 senses:

  Familiarity information: ASSIGNMENT used as a noun is common.

  Dictionary entry details  

• ASSIGNMENT (noun)

Sense 1

A duty that you are assigned to perform (especially in the armed forces)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

assignment; duty assignment

Context example:

hazardous duty

Hypernyms ("assignment" is a kind of...):

duty (work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "assignment"):

guard ; guard duty ; sentry duty ; sentry go (the duty of serving as a sentry)

fatigue ; fatigue duty (labor of a nonmilitary kind done by soldiers (cleaning or digging or draining or so on))

charge ; commission ; mission (a special assignment that is given to a person or group)

reassignment (assignment to a different duty)

sea-duty ; service abroad ; shipboard duty (naval service aboard a ship at sea)

shore duty (naval service at land bases)

Derivation:

assign (give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person))

Sense 2

The instrument by which a claim or right or interest or property is transferred from one person to another

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

instrument ; legal document ; legal instrument ; official document ((law) a document that states some contractual relationship or grants some right)

Domain category:

jurisprudence ; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

assign (transfer one's right to)

Sense 3

The act of distributing something to designated places or persons

assigning ; assignment

the first task is the assignment of an address to each datum

distribution (the act of distributing or spreading or apportioning)

allocation ; storage allocation ((computer science) the assignment of particular areas of a magnetic disk to particular data or instructions)

assign (decide as to where something belongs in a scheme)

Sense 4

(law) a transfer of property by deed of conveyance

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

assignment; grant

transferred possession ; transferred property (a possession whose ownership changes or lapses)

apanage ; appanage (a grant (by a sovereign or a legislative body) of resources to maintain a dependent member of a ruling family)

land grant (a grant of public land (as to a railway or college))

Sense 5

An undertaking that you have been assigned to do (as by an instructor)

labor ; project ; task ; undertaking (any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted)

school assignment ; schoolwork (a school task performed by a student to satisfy the teacher)

writing assignment ; written assignment (an assignment to write something)

assign (select something or someone for a specific purpose)

Sense 6

The act of putting a person into a non-elective position

appointment ; assignment; designation ; naming

the appointment had to be approved by the whole committee

conclusion ; decision ; determination (the act of making up your mind about something)

nomination (the act of officially naming a candidate)

co-optation ; co-option (the act of appointing summarily (with or without the appointee's consent))

delegacy (the appointment of a delegate)

ordinance ; ordination (the act of ordaining; the act of conferring (or receiving) holy orders)

recognition (designation by the chair granting a person the right to speak in a deliberative body)

  Context examples  

Again, more assignments are likely to zing through your window and you will find it thrilling when they do, because guess what—more money will be on the way to you.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Named or selected to an assignment .

(Designated, NCI Thesaurus)

Assignment of NSC numbers was never done in a way that would guarantee one and only one NSC number would be assigned to a particular substance.

(NSC Number, NCI Thesaurus)

A type of study that stipulates both the health provider and the subject be aware of the drug or treatment assignment .

(Open label study, NCI Thesaurus)

Position or arrangement, as of the teeth; the state of being placed or arranged, as the assignment of a person to a appropriate clinical study.

(Placement, NCI Thesaurus)

The assignment of the intervention may or may not be random.

(Interventional Study, NCI Thesaurus)

The assignments are result of human logic application and are not native to the symbols of the formal language.

(Interpretation, NCI Thesaurus)

An indication that the subject has been unable to fulfill the criteria required for assignment into a randomized group.

(Failure to Meet Randomization Criteria, NCI Thesaurus)

This may include special class placement, extra help with class assignments and tests, tutoring, and other services such as counseling, speech therapy, and physical therapy.

(IEP, NCI Dictionary)

The entity that oversees global IP address allocation, root zone management for the Domain Name System (DNS), media types, and other Internet protocol assignments .

(Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, NCI Thesaurus)