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countable and uncountable, plural assarts
Forest land cleared for agriculture. examples
(law, obsolete) The act or offence of grubbing up trees and bushes, and thus destroying the thickets or coverts of a forest. quotations
[…] an assart of the Forest, is the greatest offence or trespasse of all other, that can be done in the forest, to vert or venison, containing in it as much as waste or more. For whereas the waste of the Forest, is but the felling and cutting downe of the couerts, which may grow againe in time: an assart, is a plucking them vp […]
1607, John Cowell, The Interpreter: or Booke Containing the Signification of Words, Cambridge: John Legate
third-person singular simple present assarts, present participle assarting, simple past and past participle assarted
To clear forest land for agriculture; remove stumps. quotations examples
[…] if a man sue out a Licence to assart his grounds in the Forest, and to make it several for Tillage, then it is no offence.
1661, Thomas Blount, Glossographia, London: George Sawbridge
ASSART v.t. […] To clear away wood.
1775, John Ash, The New and Complete Dictionary of the English Language, London: Edward & Charles Dilly, Volume I