ASSIDE'ANS or CHASIDE'ANS, [Heb. pious.] A sect of Jews who resorted to Mattathias to fight for the laws of their God and the liberties of their country. They were men of great zeal, and observed the traditions of the elders. From these sprung the Pharisees and Essenes.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI