assassin
English
Etymology
From either French assassin or Italian assassino, from Arabic أَسَاسِيِّين (ʾasāsiyyīn, “people who are faithful to the foundation [of the faith]”) and the folkloric etymology Arabic حَشَّاشِين (ḥaššāšīn, “hashish users”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /əˈsæsɪn/
Audio (UK) (file) - Rhymes: -æsɪn
Noun
assassin (plural assassins)
- (historical) A member of a Muslim group who employed assassination of key enemy figures as their tactic.
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 29, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes, […], book II, printed at London: By Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:
- The Assassines, a nation depending of Phœnicia, are esteemed among the Mahometists of a soveraigne devotion and puritie of maners; they hold, that the readiest and shortest way to gaine Paradise, is to kill some one of a contrary religion […].
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- Someone who intentionally kills a person, especially a professional who kills a public or political figure.
- 2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:
- Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.
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- Any ruthless killer.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:killer
Derived terms
Terms derived from assassin (noun)
Translations
member of the historical Ismaili Muslim militant group
one who, motivated by political reasons, intentionally kills a particular person
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any ruthless killer
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Verb
assassin (third-person singular simple present assassins, present participle assassining, simple past and past participle assassined)
- (nonstandard) To assassinate.
French
Etymology
From either Arabic حَشَّاشِين (ḥaššāšīn, “hashish users”) or أَسَاسِيُّون (ʾasāsiyyūn).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a.sa.sɛ̃/
Audio (file)
Adjective
assassin (feminine singular assassine, masculine plural assassins, feminine plural assassines)
Further reading
- “assassin” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
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