Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
assignation [as-ig-ney-shuh n] ExamplesWord Origin See more synonyms for assignation on Thesaurus.com noun
- an appointment for a meeting, especially a lover’s secret rendezvous.
- the act of assigning; assignment.
Origin of assignation 1400–50; late Middle English assignacioun Latin assignātiōn- (stem of assignātiō). See assign, -ation Related formsre·as·sig·na·tion, nounCan be confusedassignment assignation Related Words for assignation rendezvous, tryst, affair, engagement, appointment, date, quickie Examples from the Web for assignation Contemporary Examples of assignation
One can see an assignation end hopelessly, another can see it freighted with possibility.
How Will They End ‘The Affair’? Showtime’s Adultery Drama Defies Predictability
Tim Teeman
December 11, 2014
Leave them alone for half an hour, and they will consummate the assignation in a hall closet or a public park.
David’s Bookclub: Sodom and Gomorrah
David Frum
September 29, 2012
Historical Examples of assignation
“The assignation is for nine o’clock in the Bois de Boulogne,” Aline informed her.
Rafael Sabatini
When he comes and demands admission, she denies the assignation.
Ballads of Romance and Chivalry
Frank Sidgwick
He took out an assignation ruble note and gave it to Karataev.
Leo Tolstoy
At last they set sail for Savona, the place of their assignation.
A. O. (Alexandre Olivier) Exquemelin
She was to watch her mistress from the house, and follow her to the place of assignation.
Mayne Reid
British Dictionary definitions for assignation assignation noun
- a secret or forbidden arrangement to meet, esp one between lovers
- the act of assigning; assignment
- law, mainly Scot another word for assignment
Word Origin for assignation C14: from Old French, from Latin assignātiō a marking out; see assign Word Origin and History for assignation n.
early 14c., “appointment by authority,” from Old French assignacion (14c., Modern French assignation), from Latin assignationem (nominative assignatio) “an assigning, allotment,” noun of action from past participle stem of assignare (see assign). Meaning “action of legally transfering” (a right or property) is from 1570s; that of “a meeting by arrangement, tryst” is from 1650s.