The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Assent \As*sent"\, n. [OE. assent, fr. assentir. See Assent,
   v.]
   The act of assenting; the act of the mind in admitting or
   agreeing to anything; concurrence with approval; consent;
   agreement; acquiescence.
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         Faith is the assent to any proposition, on the credit
         of the proposer.                         --Locke.
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         The assent, if not the approbation, of the prince.
                                                  --Prescott.
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         Too many people read this ribaldry with assent and
         admiration.                              --Macaulay.
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   Royal assent, in England, the assent of the sovereign to a
      bill which has passed both houses of Parliament, after
      which it becomes law.
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   Syn: Concurrence; acquiescence; approval; accord.

   Usage: Assent, Consent. Assent is an act of the
          understanding, consent of the will or feelings. We
          assent to the views of others when our minds come to
          the same conclusion with theirs as to what is true,
          right, or admissible. We consent when there is such a
          concurrence of our will with their desires and wishes
          that we decide to comply with their requests. The king
          of England gives his assent, not his consent, to acts
          of Parliament, because, in theory at least, he is not
          governed by personal feelings or choice, but by a
          deliberate, judgment as to the common good. We also
          use assent in cases where a proposal is made which
          involves but little interest or feeling. A lady may
          assent to a gentleman's opening the window; but if he
          offers himself in marriage, he must wait for her
          consent.
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