assizer

English

Etymology

From assize +‎ -er.

Noun

assizer (plural assizers)

1. An officer who has the care or inspection of weights and measures.
   • 1916, Johannesburg (South Africa). City Council, Minutes of 337th Meeting of the Municipal Council:

     In the case of any such weighing instruments, weights or measures as are referred to in Sub-section (2), the position thereof shall be notified in writing to the assizer before the expiry of the time fixed by the Council in accordance with Sub-section (1), and any person who shall fail so to notify the position of any such weighing instruments, weights or measures shall be guilty of an offence.

   • 1958, The Statute Law of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, page 116:

     Any person appointed as an assizer or inspector in pursuance of an agreement referred to in subsection (1) shall have all the powers and duties of an assizer or inspector, as the case may be, under this Act but only within the area to which such agreement relates.

   • 1964, Statutes of the Union of South Africa - Part 1, page 505:

     The superintendent shall provide for the use by any assizer such standard weights and standard measures of length and capacity (or volume) (in this Act referred to as working standards) as may in the opinion of the superintendent be required by such assizer for the purpose of carrying out his duties and functions under this Act.

   • 1972, The Laws of the Republic of Zambia, page 37:

     An assizer shall refuse to assize an instrument which—(a) has interchangeable or reversible parts, unless the interchange or reversal does not affect the accuracy of the instrument;

2. Alternative form of assizor
   • 1833, Archibald Alison, Practice of the Criminal Law of Scotland - Volume 2, page 388:

     It is a good objection to an assizer if he is erroneously designed; but neither that nor any other objection can be stated after the jury is sworn.

   • 1877, A History of the Witches of Renfrewshire, page 34:

     Neilson was admitted to be an assizer against Margaret Wallace, though he was brother-in-law to John Nicol who had given information for raising the ditty, because the ditty was not at Nicol's instance; and yet Starling was set from being an assizer because Moore, who was alleged to be one of the persons maleficiat, was his brother-in-law.

   • 2013, Max Decharne, Capital Crimes: Seven Centuries of London Life and Murder, page 4:

     Being an assizer was not a well-loved profession at the best of times, but it was frequently a lucrative one.