Emily Dickinson Lexicon

AS-SENT', n. [L. assensus, from assentior, to assent, of ad and sentio, to think; Eth. ስነአ sena or sana, concord, and its derivative, to agree, to harmonize; Sw. sinne, mind, sense; D. zin, mind; zinnen, to feel or mind; G. sinn, sense; sinnen, to think or consider. The Danes preserve the final consonant, sind, mind, sense, inclination; W. syn, sense; syniaw, to perceive.]

1. The act of the mind in admitting, or agreeing to, the truth of a proposition. Faith is the assent to any proposition, on the credit of the proposer. – Locke.
2. Consent; agreement to a proposal, respecting some right or interest; as, the bill before the House has the assent of a great majority of the members. The distinction between assent and consent seems to be this assent is the agreement to an abstract proposition. We assent to a statement, but we do not consent to it. Consent is an agreement to some proposal or measure which affects the rights or interest of the consenter. We consent to a proposal of marriage. This distinction however is not always observed. [See Consent.] Assent is an act of the understanding; consent is an act of the will. So Baxter speaks of justifying faith as the assenting trust of the understanding, and the consenting trust of the will. – Short Meditations.
3. Accord; agreement. – 2 Chron. xviii.