What does assignation mean?
Assignation is a noun referring to a secret meeting, most commonly one arranged between lovers who wish to keep their encounter hidden from others. The word carries strong connotations of secrecy, romance, and often intrigue or impropriety, which makes it a favorite of novelists and dramatists: characters in Victorian fiction, for instance, frequently slip away to a midnight assignation. A second, now largely historical sense denotes the act of assigning or allocating something — a meaning preserved mainly in legal documents and older formal writing, as in 'the assignation of lands.' Etymologically, the word derives from Latin 'assignare' (to mark out, allot), entering English via Old French in the late medieval period. Today the word feels literary and slightly archaic rather than everyday, so using it signals deliberate stylistic elegance or period atmosphere. It is closely associated with its synonym 'tryst,' though 'assignation' tends to sound more formal and suggestive of prearrangement.
nounAn assignation is a secret meeting between lovers, typically arranged in private or clandestine circumstances. In older or more formal legal and administrative usage, it can also mean the act of assigning or allocating something.
- A secret meeting, especially one arranged between lovers.
- (Now rare, formal/legal) The act of assigning, appointing, or allocating something to someone.
"The novel's plot hinges on a midnight assignation in a Venice hotel."
"She slipped out of the house under cover of darkness to keep her assignation at the riverside inn."
"The old deed records the assignation of the estate to the eldest son."
The standard plural follows regular noun inflection; plural forms appear mostly in narrative or literary prose describing repeated meetings.
"Their assignations continued through the autumn, each one riskier than the last."
In detective fiction, an 'assignation' almost always spells trouble — which is fitting, since Sherlock Holmes himself warned that such secret meetings are where mischief breeds.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of assignation
Assignation comes from the Latin verb 'assignare,' meaning to mark out, designate, or allot, formed from 'ad-' (to) plus 'signare' (to mark). The word passed into English through Old French during the late Middle Ages, originally carrying the sense of allocation or appointment — the act of assigning something to someone. By the seventeenth century it had developed its now-familiar sense of a prearranged, secret meeting between lovers, a shift that gave the word its enduring romantic and clandestine associations. It shares its Latin root with words such as 'assign,' 'designate,' and 'signal,' all of which preserve the core idea of marking or pointing something out.
Related word forms
How assignation is actually used
The word carries a distinctly literary, slightly archaic flavor today; it strongly connotes secrecy and romance, often with a hint of impropriety or intrigue. The administrative sense of 'assignation' (the act of assigning) survives mainly in legal and historical texts, while the romantic-secret-meeting sense dominates modern usage, particularly in fiction.
Easily confused with assignation
An assignment is a task or piece of work allocated to someone, whereas an assignation is a (usually romantic) secret meeting.
Assassination means the murder of a prominent person; it merely resembles 'assignation' in sound but has no connection in meaning.