Assent as legal concurrence: affirmative consent and approval determine validity of agreements and formal enactments. Assent is the legal notion of concurrence or approval by the mind or will to accept a proposition, act, or instrument. As a noun it denotes passive or active agreement implying knowledge or permission; as a verb it denotes affirmative action-acceptance, consent, acquiescence, ratification, confirmation, or authorization. Assent typically pertains to conduct before or at the time of an act, and institutional applications include formal governmental or royal approval and corporate or executor approvals.