diff --git a/bitshift/database/__init__.py b/bitshift/database/__init__.py
index b242680..388508d 100644
--- a/bitshift/database/__init__.py
+++ b/bitshift/database/__init__.py
@@ -156,10 +156,10 @@ class Database(object):
         build = lambda id, L, typ: [tuple([id, typ] + list(loc)) for loc in L]
 
         type_id = Symbol.TYPES.index(sym_type)
-        for (name, assigns, uses) in symbols:
+        for (name, defs, uses) in symbols:
             cursor.execute(query1, (code_id, type_id, name))
             sym_id = cursor.lastrowid
-            params = (build(sym_id, assigns, Symbol.ASSIGN) +
+            params = (build(sym_id, defs, Symbol.DEFINE) +
                       build(sym_id, uses, Symbol.USE))
             cursor.executemany(query2, params)
 
diff --git a/bitshift/query/__init__.py b/bitshift/query/__init__.py
index 4e91c77..02050f1 100644
--- a/bitshift/query/__init__.py
+++ b/bitshift/query/__init__.py
@@ -170,11 +170,11 @@ class _QueryParser(object):
 
     def _parse_symbol(self, term, stype=Symbol.ALL):
         """Parse part of a query into a symbol node and return it."""
-        assigns = ("a:", "assign:", "assignment:", "d:", "def:", "definition:",
+        defines = ("a:", "assign:", "assignment:", "d:", "def:", "definition:",
                    "decl:", "declare:", "declaration:")
         uses = ("u:", "use:", "c:", "call:")
-        if term.startswith(assigns) or term.startswith(uses):
-            context = Symbol.ASSIGN if term.startswith(assigns) else Symbol.USE
+        if term.startswith(defines) or term.startswith(uses):
+            context = Symbol.DEFINE if term.startswith(defines) else Symbol.USE
             term_part = term.split(":", 1)[1]
             if not term_part:
                 raise QueryParseException('Incomplete query term: "%s"' % term)
diff --git a/bitshift/query/nodes.py b/bitshift/query/nodes.py
index 2d46ef0..8aec7f6 100644
--- a/bitshift/query/nodes.py
+++ b/bitshift/query/nodes.py
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ class Symbol(_Node):
     Searches in symbol_type and symbol_name.
     """
     ALL = -1
-    ASSIGN = 0
+    DEFINE = 0
     USE = 1
 
     FUNCTION = 0
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ class Symbol(_Node):
 
     def __init__(self, context, type_, name):
         """
-        :type context: int (``ASSIGN`` or ``USE``)
+        :type context: int (``DEFINE`` or ``USE``)
         :type type_: int (``ALL``, ``FUNCTION``, ``CLASS``, etc.)
         :type name: :py:class:`._Literal`
         """
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ class Symbol(_Node):
         self.name = name
 
     def __repr__(self):
-        context = ["ASSIGN", "USE", "ALL"][self.context]
+        context = ["DEFINE", "USE", "ALL"][self.context]
         type_ = self.TYPE_REPR[self.type] if self.type >= 0 else "ALL"
         return "Symbol({0}, {1}, {2})".format(context, type_, self.name)