1. Periodic court sessions held in English counties for the trial of civil and criminal cases.
Usage: historical; chiefly British; plural noun
2. The building or location where such court sessions are held.
Usage: historical; chiefly British; plural noun

Examples

• The defendant was tried at the summer assizes.
• The judge traveled the circuit to preside over the assizes in each county.
• During the assizes, serious criminal cases were heard before a jury.
• The assizes were an important part of the English legal system for centuries.
• Local people gathered at the assizes to witness the trials.