assize

assize

In law, a session, or sitting, of a court. It originally referred to a judicial inquest in which a panel of men conducted an investigation. It was later applied to special sessions of high courts in England and France. Assize courts were abolished in most countries in the 20th century, but in France they are still the courts of first instance in the handling of serious crimes.

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assize [ə′sīz]

(civil engineering)

A cylindrical block of stone forming one unit in a column.

A layer of stonework.

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assize

1. A cylindrical block of stone forming one unit in a column.

2. A course of stonework.