assistant

[uh-sis-tuhnt]

noun

1. a person who assists or gives aid and support; helper.

2. a person who is subordinate to another in rank, function, etc.; one holding a secondary rank in an office or post.

   He was assistant to the office manager.

   Synonyms: adjutant, aide

3. something that aids and supplements another.

4. a faculty member of a college or university who ranks below an instructor and whose responsibilities usually include grading papers, supervising laboratories, and assisting in teaching.

adjective

1. assisting; helpful.

2. serving in an immediately subordinate position; of secondary rank.

   an assistant coach.

assistant

/ əˈsɪstənt /

noun

1. 1. a person who assists, esp in a subordinate position

   2. ( as modifier )

      assistant manager

2. See shop assistant

adjective

1. archaic,  helpful or useful as an aid

Other Word Forms

• nonassistant noun
• unassistant adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of assistant¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English assistent, from Latin assistent-, stem of assistēns “standing by,” present participle of assistere “to stand by, help”; assist

Example Sentences

Anthropic developed an AI assistant named Claude that can generate text, images, code and more.

From Los Angeles Times

The room was always locked – only Bowie and his personal assistant had a key – so they were left undisturbed until archivists started cataloguing his belongings.

From BBC

She is one of five people - including medical doctors and the actor's assistant - who US officials say supplied ketamine to Perry, exploiting his drug addiction for profit, and leading to his overdose death.

From BBC

Google shows AI-generated summaries of search results, released an “AI mode” in search and has a virtual assistant called Gemini.

From Los Angeles Times

“There are no words to fully capture what George meant to his family, friends, colleagues, former players, and assistants — and to the world,” the family said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aide 
• apprentice 
• associate 
• attendant 
• backup 
• colleague 
• companion 
• deputy 
• friend 
• partner 
• representative 
• secretary