Storing the value of an expresSIon in a variable. This is commonly written in the form "v = e". In Algol the asSIgnment operator was ":=" (pronounced "becomes") to avoid mathematicians qualms about writing statements like x = x+1. AsSIgnment is not allowed in functional languages, where an identifier always has the same value. See also referential transparency, SIngle asSIgnment, zero asSIgnment. (1996-08-19)