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Origin and history of assemble

assemble(v.)

early 14c., transitive ("collect into one place") and intransitive ("meet or come together"), from Old French assembler "come together, join, unite; gather" (11c.), from Latin assimulare "to make like, liken, compare; copy, imitate; feign, pretend," later "to gather together," from assimilated form of ad "to" (see ad-) + simulare "to make like," from stem of similis "like, resembling, of the same kind" (see similar).

In Middle English and in Old French it also was a euphemism for "to couple sexually." The meaning "put parts together" in manufacturing is from 1852. Related: Assembled; assembling. Assemble together is redundant.

also from early 14c.

Entries linking to assemble

similar(adj.)

"having characteristics in common," 1610s (earlier similary, 1560s), from French similaire, from a Medieval Latin extended form of Latin similis "like, resembling, of the same kind," from Old Latin semol "together" (from PIE root *sem- (1) "one; as one, together with"). The noun meaning "that which is similar" is from 1650s. Related: Similarly.

assemblage(n.)

1704, "a collection of individuals," from French assemblage "gathering, assemblage," from assembler (see assemble). Earlier English words in the same sense include assemblement, assemblance (both late 15c.). The meaning "act of coming together" is from 1730; that of "act of fitting parts together" is from 1727.

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More to explore

assembly
c. 1300, "a gathering of persons, a group gathered for some purpose," from Old French asemblee, assemblee "assembly, gathering; union, marriage," noun use of fem. past participle of assembler "to assemble" (see assemble). The meaning "a gathering together" is recorded from early
meet
 Middle English mēten, from Old English metan "to find, find out; fall in with, encounter, come into the same place with; obtain," from Proto-Germanic *motjanan (source also of Old Norse mæta, Old Frisian meta, Old Saxon motian "to meet," Gothic gamotijan), from PIE root *mo
gather
Old English gadrian, gædrian "unite, agree, assemble; gather, collect, store up" (transitive and intransitive), used of flowers, thoughts, persons; from Proto-Germanic *gaduron "come or bring together, unite" (source also of Old English gæd "fellowship, companionship," gædeling "
congregate
fluids in the body, from Latin congregatus, past participle of congregare "to herd together, collect in a flock, swarm; assemble...Of persons, "collect or bring together in an assembly," 1510s; intransitive sense "come together, assemble or meet in large...
convene
purpose, from Old French convenir "to come together; to suit, agree," from Latin convenire "to come together, meet together, assemble...Transitive sense of "call together, cause to assemble" is from 1590s. Related: Convened; convener; convening....
muster
The transitive meaning "to collect, assemble, bring together in a group or body," especially for military service or inspection...The intransitive sense of "assemble, meet in one place," of military forces, is from mid-15c....
structure
figuratively, "arrangement, order," from structus, past participle of struere "to pile, place together, heap up; build, assemble...
make
Old English macian "to give being to, give form or character to, bring into existence; construct, do, be the author of, produce; prepare, arrange, cause; behave, fare, transform," from West Germanic *makōjanan "to fashion, fit" (source also of Old Saxon makon, Old Frisian makia "
confuse
1550s in a literal sense "mix or mingle things or ideas so as to render the elements indistinguishable;" from mid-18c. in the active, figurative sense of "perplex the mind or ideas of, discomfit in mind or feeling," but not in general use until after c. 1800. From 1862 as "errone
compound
late 14c., compounen, "to put together, to mix, to combine; to join, couple together," from Old French compondre, componre "arrange, direct," and directly from Latin componere "to put together," from com "with, together" (see com-) + ponere "to place" (see position (n.)). The une

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