Assert

as-sėrt′, v.t. to vindicate or defend by arguments or measures (now used only of the cause as object or reflexive): to declare strongly: to lay claim to or insist upon anything: to affirm: ( rare ) to bear evidence of.— adj. A ert′able .— ns. A ert′er , A ert′or , a champion, one who makes a positive statement; A er′tion , affirmation: the act of claiming one's rights: averment.— adj. A ert′ive , a erting or confirming confidently: positive: dogmatic.— adv. A ert′ively .— n. A ert′ivene .— adj. A ert′ory , affirmative.— To a ert one's self , to defend one's rights or opinions, sometimes with unnece ary zeal, to thrust one's self forward. [L. a erĕre (superl. a ertum ), aliquem manu in libertatem , to lay hands on a slave in token of manumi ion, hence to protect, affirm, declare— ad , to, and serĕre , to join. Cf. Series .]