assize
9.9
An official rule that sets standard weights, measures, or prices for goods
- noun
- /əˈsaɪz/
- Archaic
:
reglamento
- Merchants were required to adhere to the assize, which dictated how much their goods should weigh to prevent fraud.
Examples
-
The assize of Bread and Ale established specific weights and prices for loaves and ale during medieval times.
-
At the same time, he was compelled to show by what warrant he claimed 'emendation of the assize of bread and ale when broken' in his Manor of Medeshole.
Blog text (31) -
In medieval England, the local government would enforce the assize to ensure fair trade practices in the marketplace.
Compounds
court of assize and nisi prius
- Archaic
9.9
A former county court in England that heard serious criminal and civil trials
Surface Forms
Etymology
Assize comes from the same idea of a court 'sitting' (Latin assidere, sedere 'to sit'), and those official sittings often set rules for trade. That's why an assize became the name for a law or regulation that fixed weights, prices, or measures.
