Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Assert

Assert ({not transcribed}) , transitive verb

[Latin assertus, past participle of asserere to join or fasten to one's self, claim, maintain; ad + serere to join or bind together. See Series.]

1.
To affirm; to declare with assurance, or plainly and strongly; to state positively; to aver; to asseverate.
Nothing is more shameful... than to assert anything to be done without a cause. — Ray
2.
To maintain; to defend. [Obsolete or Archaic]
That... I may assert Eternal Providence, And justify the ways of God to men. — Milton
I will assert it from the scandal. — Jer. Taylor
3.
To maintain or defend, as a cause or a claim, by words or measures; to vindicate a claim or title to; as, to assert our rights and liberties.
Collocations (1)
To assert one's self , to claim or vindicate one's rights or position; to demand recognition.