Meanings
adjectiveassistant (not comparable)
alternative obsolete assistaunt
- attributivenot comparableHelping; lending aid or support; auxiliary.
Genius and learning […] are mutually and greatly assistant to each other.
1790, James Beattie, Elements of Moral Science1 more example
The person principally assistant on this occasion, indeed the only one who did any service, or seemed likely to do any, was the landlady […]
1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC
nounassistant (plural assistants)
plural assistants · alternative obsolete assistaunt
- obsoleteSomeone who is present; a bystander, a witness.
a woman of great authority, having first yeelded an accompt unto her Citizens, and shewed good reasons why she was resolved to end her life, earnestly entreated Pompey to be an assistant at her death, that so it might be esteemed more honourable[…].
1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 3, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC - A person who assists or helps someone else.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA software tool that provides assistance in some task, a wizard program.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveof or relating to a person who is subordinate to another
Similar
nouna person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
- Proto-Italic*ad
- Proto-Italic*ad-
- Latinad-
- Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*stísteh₂ti
- Proto-Italic*sistō
- Latinsistō
- Latinassistō
- Middle Frenchassister
- Middle Frenchassistant
- Middle Englishassistent
- Englishassistant
From Middle English assistent, from Middle French assistant, from assister. By surface analysis, assist + -ant.
More words from Middle English, Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek συνεργός, βοηθός
- συνεργός (sunergós)having a subordinate or auxiliary position
- βοηθός (boēthós)person who assists
- ὑπουργός (hupourgós)person who assists
Arabic مُسَاعِد, مُسَاعِدَة
- مُسَاعِد (musāʕid)person who assists
- مُسَاعِدَة (musāʕida)person who assists
- مُعَاوِن (muʕāwin)person who assists
- مُعَاوِنَة (muʕāwina)person who assists
Bengali সহায়ক
- সহায়ক (śohaẏok)person who assists
Bulgarian спомага́телен, помо́щник
- спомага́телен (spomagátelen)having a subordinate or auxiliary position
- помо́щник (pomóštnik)person who assists
- помо́щничка (pomóštnička)person who assists
- помо́щница (pomóštnica)person who assists
- асисте́нт (asistént)person who assists
- асисте́нтка (asisténtka)person who assists
Catalan auxiliar, assistent
- auxiliarhaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- assistentperson who assists
- assistentaperson who assists
Chinese Cantonese 助理, 助手
- 助理 (zo⁶ lei⁵)person who assists
- 助手 (zo⁶ sau²)person who assists
- 副手 (fu³ sau²)person who assists
Chinese Mandarin 助理, 助手
- 助理 (zhùlǐ)person who assists
- 助手 (zhùshǒu)person who assists
- 副手 (fùshǒu)person who assists
Czech asistent, asistentka
- asistentperson who assists
- asistentkaperson who assists
- pomocníkperson who assists
- pomocniceperson who assists
Danish assistent, hjælper
- assistentperson who assists
- hjælperperson who assists
- medhjælperperson who assists
Dutch assistent, assistente
- assistentperson who assists
- assistenteperson who assists
Esperanto asistanto
- asistantoperson who assists
Estonian abiline, asetäitja
- abilineperson who assists
- asetäitjaperson who assists
- assistentperson who assists
Finnish apu-, vara-
- apu-having a subordinate or auxiliary position
- vara-having a subordinate or auxiliary position
- avustavahaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- apulais-having a subordinate or auxiliary position
- assistenttiperson who assists
- apulainenperson who assists
- avustajaperson who assists
French assistant, aide
- assistantperson who assists
- aideperson who assists
- auxiliaireperson who assists
German helfend, hilfreich
- helfendhaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- hilfreichhaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- Assistentperson who assists
- Mitarbeiterperson who assists
- Helferperson who assists
- Gehilfeperson who assists
Greek βοηθητικός, βοηθός
- βοηθητικός (voïthitikós)having a subordinate or auxiliary position
- βοηθός (voïthós)person who assists
Hebrew עוֹזֵר
- עוֹזֵר (ozér)person who assists
Hindi सहायक, मददगार
- सहायक (sahāyak)person who assists
- मददगार (madadgār)person who assists
Hungarian helyettes, segéd
- helyetteshaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- segédhaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- asszisztensperson who assists
- segédperson who assists
Icelandic aðstoðar-, aðstoðarmaður
- aðstoðar-having a subordinate or auxiliary position
- aðstoðarmaðurperson who assists
Indonesian pembantu
- pembantuperson who assists
Irish cúntóir
- cúntóirperson who assists
Italian assistente
- assistenteperson who assists
Japanese 助手, 手伝い
- 助手 (joshu)person who assists
- 手伝いperson who assists
- アシスタント (ashisutanto)person who assists
Korean 보조, 시다
- 보조 (bojo)having a subordinate or auxiliary position
- 시다 (sida)having a subordinate or auxiliary position
- 조수 (josu)person who assists
- 도우미 (doumi)person who assists
Latin adiūtor, adiūtrix
- adiūtorperson who assists
- adiūtrixperson who assists
- optiōperson who assists
- administerperson who assists
Latvian asistents, asistente
- asistentsperson who assists
- asistenteperson who assists
- palīgsperson who assists
- palīdzeperson who assists
Lithuanian asistentas, asistentė
- asistentasperson who assists
- asistentėperson who assists
- padėjėjasperson who assists
- padėjėjaperson who assists
Malay pembantu
- pembantuperson who assists
Māori taituarā, kaiāwhina
- taituarāperson who assists
- kaiāwhinaperson who assists
- uruoraperson who assists
- pikiperson who assists
Norwegian Bokmål assisterende, assistent
- assisterendehaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- assistentperson who assists
- medhjelperperson who assists
Polish asystencki, asystent
- asystenckihaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- asystentperson who assists
- asystentkaperson who assists
- pomocnikperson who assists
- pomocnicaperson who assists
Portuguese assistente, assistente
- assistentehaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- assistenteperson who assists
- ajudanteperson who assists
Romanian asistent, asistent
- asistenthaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- asistentperson who assists
- asistentăperson who assists
- ajutorperson who assists
- ajutoareperson who assists
Russian вспомога́тельный, ассисте́нт
- вспомога́тельный (vspomogátelʹnyj)having a subordinate or auxiliary position
- ассисте́нт (assistént)person who assists
- ассисте́нтка (assisténtka)person who assists
- помо́щник (pomóščnik)person who assists
- помо́щница (pomóščnica)person who assists
Scottish Gaelic cuidiche
- cuidicheperson who assists
Slovak pomocník, pomocníca
- pomocníkperson who assists
- pomocnícaperson who assists
- asistentperson who assists
- asistentkaperson who assists
Spanish asistente, ayudante
- asistentehaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- ayudantehaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- asistenteperson who assists
Swahili naibu, msaidizi
- naibuhaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- msaidiziperson who assists
Swedish assistent, medhjälpare
- assistentperson who assists
- medhjälpareperson who assists
Thai ผู้ช่วย
- ผู้ช่วย (pûu-chûai)person who assists
Turkish asistan, yardımcı
- asistanhaving a subordinate or auxiliary position
- yardımcıperson who assists
- asistanperson who assists
- muavinperson who assists
Ukrainian помічни́к, помічни́ця
- помічни́к (pomičnýk)person who assists
- помічни́ця (pomičnýcja)person who assists
- асисте́нт (asystént)person who assists
- асисте́нтка (asysténtka)person who assists
Urdu مَدَدْگار, سَہایَک
- مَدَدْگار (madadgār)person who assists
- سَہایَک (sahāyak)person who assists
- یاوَر (yāvar)person who assists
Vietnamese phó thủ, người phụ việc
- phó thủperson who assists
- người phụ việcperson who assists
Cite this entry
APA
assistant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/assistant
MLA
“assistant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/assistant. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “assistant,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/assistant.
Source: assistant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.