assent
- 01 C1 Advanced
n.official or formal agreement to a suggestion, plan, or request.
n.the expression of approval or agreement, particularly after thoughtful consideration or by an official authority.
Simple“The director gave her assent to the new project after reading the final report.”
In context“The proposal cannot proceed to the implementation phase until it receives the formal assent of the board of governors.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'to'.
Teacher's tipIn legal contexts like the UK parliament, 'Royal Assent' is the specific term for a monarch's formal approval of a bill.
- 02 C1 Advanced
v.to agree to a suggestion or a plan after thinking about it.
v.to express agreement or to yield to a proposal; functions as an intransitive verb.
Simple“The committee members nodded to show they assented to the changes.”
In context“Although he had initial reservations, the minister eventually assented to the terms of the treaty to avoid further diplomatic tension.”
UsageThis verb is intransitive and is almost always followed by the preposition 'to'.
Teacher's tipThis is much more formal than 'agree' and is rarely used in casual conversation.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a legal document used to pass ownership of a house or land to a person named in a will.
n.a legal instrument by which an executor conveys real estate to a beneficiary under the terms of a will.
Simple“The lawyer prepared the formal assent to transfer the house to the son.”
In context“The executor signed the assent, effectively vesting the legal title of the estate in the deceased's primary heir.”
UsageUsed as a countable noun in property law.
Teacher's tipThis is a highly specialized legal sense that students will only encounter in probate or property law contexts.
Synonyms
“If it passes the House of Commons, rarely invoked powers could be used , meaning it would not need the assent of the Lords to become law this time.”
From Middle English assent (noun) and assenten (verb), from Old French assent (noun) and assentir (verb), from Latin assentiō.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.