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assessment

Etymology and origin of the English word assessment

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1534
Ultimate origin
English (assess,-ment)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /əˈses.mənt/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English assess + -ment.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The valuation of property for tax purposes: 1534 in MWU, the 1530s in Etymonline, about 1540 in the OED.[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Fixing the amount of a tax, charge or fine is from the 1540s (1548 in the OED);[2][4] earlier in this sense was assession, from the mid-15th century.[2] The amount charged is from 1611.[4] The general sense “estimation, evaluation” is from the 1620s,[2][4] and in education, the evaluation of students' work, from 1956.[2][4]

Timeline

  • 1534 – a valuation for tax.[3]
  • 1548 – fixing an amount of tax.[4]
  • 1611 – the amount charged.[4]
  • 1620s – estimation.[2]
  • 1956 – in education.[2][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of judging the quality, value or importance of something; an evaluation.
  2. An amount fixed as a tax, fine or charge.
  3. The evaluation of a student's work, or a test used for it.

Word family

  • misassessment
  • self-assessment
  • reassessment
  • overassessment
  • assess
  • assessor

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Assessment.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/assessment. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·