as·sert 
(
ə-sûrt
)
tr.v. as·sert·ed,
as·sert·ing,
as·serts 1. To state or express positively; affirm: asserted his innocence.
2. To defend or maintain (one's rights, for example).
3. To put into action boldly; employ or demonstrate: asserted her independence.
Idiom: assert oneself To act boldly or forcefully, especially in defending one's rights or stating an opinion.
[Latin asserere, assert- : ad-, ad- + serere, to join; see ser-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
as·serta·ble, as·serti·ble adj.
as·serter, as·sertor n.