From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Assign \As*sign"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Assigned}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Assigning}.] [OE. assignen, asignen, F. assigner, fr. L. assignare; ad + signare to mark, mark out, designate, signum mark, sign. See {Sign}.]
1. To appoint; to allot; to apportion; to make over.
In the order I assign to them. --Loudon.
The man who could feel thus was worthy of a better station than that in which his lot had been assigned. --Southey.
He assigned to his men their several posts. --Prescott.
2. To fix, specify, select, or designate; to point out authoritatively or exactly; as, to assign a limit; to assign counsel for a prisoner; to assign a day for trial.
All as the dwarf the way to her assigned. --Spenser.
It is not easy to assign a period more eventful. --De Quincey.
3. (Law) To transfer, or make over to another, esp. to transfer to, and vest in, certain persons, called assignees, for the benefit of creditors.
{To assign dower}, to set out by metes and bounds the widow's share or portion in an estate. --Kent.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: the act of distributing something to designated places or persons; "the first task is the assignment of an address to each datum" [syn: {assignment}]
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