Webster's 1828 Dictionary
ASSART
n. 1. In ancient laws, the offense of grubbing up trees, and thus destroying thickets or coverts of a forest.
2. a tree plucked up by the roots, also a piece of land cleared.
ASSART
v.t.To grub up trees; to commit an assart.
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
ASSART
As *sart ", n. Etym: [OF. essart the grubbing up of trees, fr. essarter to grub up or clear ground of bushes, shrubs, trees, etc. , fr. LL. exartum, exartare, for exsaritare; L. ex + sarire, sarrire, saritum, to hoe, weed. ]
1. (Old Law )
Defn: The act or offense of grubbing up trees and bushes, and thus destroying the tickets or coverts of a forest. Spelman. Cowell.
2. A piece of land cleared of trees and bushes, and fitted for cultivation; a clearing. Ash. Assart land, forest land cleared of woods and brush.
ASSART
ASSART As *sart ", v. t.
Defn: To grub up, as trees; to commit an assart upon; as, to assart land or trees. Ashmole.
New American Oxford Dictionary
assart
assart |əˈsɑːt |Brit. historical ▶noun a piece of land converted from forest to arable use. • [ mass noun ] the action of converting forest to arable use. ▶verb [ with obj. ] convert (forest ) to arable use. ORIGIN late Middle English (as a noun ): from Old French essarter, from medieval Latin ex (s )artare, based on ex ‘out ’ + sar (r )ire ‘to weed ’. The verb dates from the early 16th cent.
Oxford Dictionary
assart
assart |əˈsɑːt |Brit. historical ▶noun a piece of land converted from forest to arable use. • [ mass noun ] the action of converting forest to arable use. ▶verb [ with obj. ] convert (forest ) to arable use. ORIGIN late Middle English (as a noun ): from Old French essarter, from medieval Latin ex (s )artare, based on ex ‘out ’ + sar (r )ire ‘to weed ’. The verb dates from the early 16th cent.
The Wordsmith Dictionary