1. A court session held periodically in English counties to hear criminal and civil cases.
Usage: historical; chiefly British
2. An official regulation or edict, especially one fixing the price or quality of a commodity.
Usage: archaic; historical
3. A jury or the verdict rendered by a jury in a legal proceeding.
Usage: archaic; historical

Examples

• The assize court convened in the county town to hear cases from the surrounding region.
• Medieval assizes established standards for the weight and purity of bread sold in markets.
• The defendant awaited the assize's judgment after presenting his evidence.
• Traveling judges presided over the assizes, which were held several times each year.
• The assize of ale regulated the price and quality of beer in medieval England.
• Local merchants were summoned to appear before the assize to answer charges of fraud.