assistant

& s. [In Fr. a istant, a. & s.; Sp. asistente, s.; Port. a ist ent, adj., a istant, s.; Ital. a istente; from Lat. a ist ens, pr. par. of a is to.] [ASSIST.] A. As adjective : Aiding, helping, auxiliary. "Around, a tram of weeping sisters stands, To raise her, sinking, with a istant hands." Pope: Homer's Iliad , bk. xxii., 604-5. B. As substantive : Properly, one who stands by or attends upon another, an attendant; but now the word means one who aids or helps another in any way. "Of four a istants who his labour share, Three now were absent on the rural care.' Pope: Homer's Ody ey, bk. xiv., 27, 28. tas-sist-ant-lý, adv . [Eng. a istant ; -ly.] In a manner to a ist. "He hath holpen up a istantly , His servant Israel." Magnificat , in Stern hold's Psalms (ed. 1598). 339