Lewis & Short

2. as-sĕro (ads-, Ritschl, Fleckeisen, Merk., Halm, Weissenb.), sĕrŭi, sertum, 3, v. a., to join some person or thing to one’s self; hence,

  1. I. As a jurid. t. t. (so this word is most freq. found; cf. assertor and assertio).
    1. A. Aliquem manu, in libertatem or liberali causā (also merely manu, and finally absol. adserere), to declare one (a slave) to be free by laying hands upon him, to set free, to liberate: adserere manu in libertatem … , Varr. L. L. 6, § 64 Müll.: qui in libertatem adserebant, Suet. Vit. 10: se adserit in libertatem, Dig. 47, 10, 11 fin.: in iis qui adserantur in libertatem, quia quivis lege agere possit, id juris esse, Liv. 3, 45; so, in ingenuitatem, Suet. Aug. 74: se ingenuitati, Dig. 40, 14, 2: manu eas adserat Suas populares liberali causā, Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 83: manuque liberali causā ambas adseras, id. ib. 5, 2, 142: si quisquam hanc liberali adseruisset manu, id. Curc. 5, 2, 68: ego liberali illam adsero causā manu, Ter. Ad. 2, 1, 40: cum in causā liberali eum, qui adserebatur cognatum, suum esse diceret, * Cic. Fl. 17, 40: neminem venire, qui istas adsereret manu, Plaut. Poen. 5, 6, 11: illam a lenone adserito manu, id. Pers. 1, 3, 83; and transf.: pisces manu adserere, id. Rud. 4, 3, 34: adserui jam me fugique catenas, Ov. Am. 3, 11, 3 Merk.; Suet. Vesp. 3; id. Gram. 21.
    2. B. Aliquem in servitutem, to declare one to be a slave by laying the hand upon him, to claim as a slave: M. Claudio clienti negotium dedit (Ap. Claudius), ut virginem in servitutem adsereret, Liv. 3, 44; so Suet. Tib. 2; Liv. 34, 18; 35, 16 fin.
  2. II. After the poets of the Aug. per., transf. from the judicial sphere to common life.
    1. A. (Acc. to I. A.) To free from, to protect, defend, defend against (esp. freq. in Flor. and Suet.): habe ante oculos mortalitatem, a quā adserere te hoc uno munimento potes, Plin. Ep. 2, 10, 4: se ab injuriā oblivionis, id. ib. 3, 5, 9: liberatae Italiae adsertique imperii nuntius, Flor. 3, 3, 19: post adsertam a Manlio, restitutam a Camillo urbem, id. 1, 13, 19: Latini quoque Tarquinios adserebant, id. 1, 11, 1: Gracchanas leges, id. 3, 16, 1: easdem leges, id. 3, 17, 1; so id. 2, 18, 16; 3, 3, 19; 3, 17, 4: dignitatem, Suet. Caes. 16 (cf. Caes. B. C. 1, 7, and Suet. Caes. 33: defendere dignitatem, id. ib. 72: tueri dignitatem): senatus in adserendā libertate consensit, in the restoring of freedom, Suet. Calig. 60; id. Claud. 10: namque adserit urbes sola fames (liberas facit urbes contra dominos, Schol.), Luc. 3, 56: hoc focale tuas adserat auriculas, i. e. guard against the hearing of bad verses, Mart. 14, 142: non te cucullis adseret caput tectum (sc. a basiis), id. 11, 99.
    2. B. (Acc. to I. B.) Aliquid sibi, to appropriate something to one’s self, to claim, declare it one’s own possession: nec laudes adsere nostras, claim not for yourself, etc., Ov. M. 1, 462: haec (gaudia) utrāque manu complexuque adsere toto, Mart. 1, 16, 9; and (per hypallagen): me adsere caelo, appoint me to the skies, i. e. declare me to be of celestial origin, Ov. M. 1, 761.
      In prose, Vell. 2, 60 Runhk.; cf. Val. Max. 4, 4, 4: Unus hominum ad hoc aevi Felicis sibi cognomen adseruit L. Sulla, Plin. 7, 43, 44, § 137: sapientis sibi nomen adseruit, Quint. 12, 1, 20: sibi artem figurarum, id. 9, 3, 64: ipse te in alto isto pinguique secessu studiis adseris? are you devoting yourself? Plin. Ep. 1, 3, 3: dominationem sibi, Suet. Oth. 9: divinam majestatem sibi, id. Calig. 22: Gallaeci Graecam sibi originem adserunt, Just. 44, 3.
    3. C. In gen., to maintain, affirm, assert, declare; διαβεβαιοῦμαι, Gloss.: non haec Colchidos adserit furorem, Diri prandia nec refert Thyestae, Mart. 10, 35: Epicharmus testium malis hanc utilissime imponi adserit, Plin. 20, 9, 34, § 89, where Jan conjectures ait: mollissimum quemque beatum fore adserebant, Aur. Vict. Caes. 28, 8; so id. ib. 3, 5: non vacat adserere quae finxeris, Quint. Decl. 7, 6; Pall. 1, 19, 3; so Veg. 1, 17, 4; 1, 17, 5; 5, 25, 1 al.