assignat

American  

[as-ig-nat, a-see-nya] / ˈæs ɪgˌnæt, a siˈnya /

noun

French History.

plural

assignats

1. one of the notes issued as paper currency from 1789 to 1796 by the revolutionary government on the security of confiscated lands.

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assignat British  

/ ˌæsɪˈnjɑː, asiɲa, ˈæsɪɡˌnæt /

noun

1. French history the paper money issued by the Constituent Assembly in 1789, backed by the confiscated land of the Church and the émigrés

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Etymology

Origin of assignat

1780–90; < French < Latin assignātus assigned (past participle of assignāre ). See assign, -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Mr. Albertus is right that the French Revolution was a “turning point in human history,” not merely the event that gave us the assignat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

In order to prevent inflation, revolutionary officials promised to retire the assignat from circulation and burn the notes once they were used to buy property, but this commitment was not always honored, prompting public mistrust.

From Science Daily • Sep. 18, 2023

From failing insurrections in Paris and the establishment of a new regime known as the Directory, the key drivers of the assignat were on their way out.

From Science Daily • Sep. 18, 2023

To stimulate purchases, the government began issuing a paper currency called assignat.

From Science Daily • Sep. 18, 2023

For a few months an artificial improvement was effected in the value of the assignat by these ferocious measures; but in 1795, after the Terror, the system and the paper money collapsed.

From The Paper Moneys of Europe Their Moral and Economic Significance by Hirst, Francis Wrigley