Assess

to estimate officially the value of (property, income, etc.) as a basis for taxation.
to fix or determine the amount of (damages, a tax, a fine, etc.):
The hurricane damage was assessed at six million dollars.
to impose a tax or other charge on.
to estimate or judge the value, character, etc., of; evaluate:
to assess one’s efforts.
Contemporary Examples

Tests that assess what students have learned are not intended to be, nor are they, measures of teacher quality.
Stop Trashing Teachers! Diane Ravitch September 28, 2010

Part of this exercise was to give them the opportunity to assess our abilities.
Confessions of a Shrimp Sniffer Bill Mahan July 10, 2010

So how can we assess whether a threat made on, say, Twitter or Facebook is harmless, or whether it needs to be taken seriously?
Trying to Identify the Next Far-Right Extremist Before He Shoots Eliza Shapiro August 9, 2012

But as with so many customs, little information is available to assess the impact of clay and its congeners on human health.
You Probably Shouldn’t Try to Lose 20 Pounds by Eating Clay Kent Sepkowitz June 23, 2014

“My job was to assess their fear and then harp on that fear, capitalize on that fear and get them to buy,” said Maddox, 33.
‘Degree Mills’ Are Exploiting Veterans and Making Millions Off the GI Bill Aaron Glantz June 27, 2014

Historical Examples

The committee sympathised with him, but found that they must assess him according to his rent.
Hodge and His Masters Richard Jefferies

I cannot pretend to assess impartially the value of this movement.
Irish Books and Irish People Stephen Gwynn

At the close of my address the deacons came out to assess the congregation in the matter of collection.
The Soul of John Brown Stephen Graham

We said we might buy something more and he could assess them all together.
Journal of Jasper Danckaerts, 1679-1680 Jasper Danckaerts

And the question I would raise is this: By which of these two standards shall we assess the word ‘happiness’?
Another Sheaf John Galsworthy

verb (transitive)
to judge the worth, importance, etc, of; evaluate
(foll by at) to estimate the value of (income, property, etc) for taxation purposes: the estate was assessed at three thousand pounds
to determine the amount of (a fine, tax, damages, etc)
to impose a tax, fine, etc, on (a person or property)
v.

early 15c., “to fix the amount (of a tax, fine, etc.),” from Anglo-French assesser, from Medieval Latin assessare “fix a tax upon,” originally frequentative of Latin assessus “a sitting by,” past participle of assidere “to sit beside” (and thus to assist in the office of a judge), from ad- “to” (see ad-) + sedere “to sit” (see sedentary). One of the judge’s assistant’s jobs was to fix the amount of a fine or tax. Meaning “to estimate the value of property for the purpose of taxing it” is from 1809; transferred sense of “to judge the value of a person, idea, etc.” is from 1934. Related: Assessed; assessing.