assassin

[ uh-sas-in ]

noun

1. a murderer, especially one who kills a politically prominent person for fanatical or monetary reasons.
2. (initial capital letter) one of an order of Muslim fanatics, active in Persia and Syria from about 1090 to 1272, whose chief object was to assassinate Crusaders.

Assassin

¹

/ əˈsæsɪn /

noun

1. a member of a secret sect of Muslim fanatics operating in Persia and Syria from about 1090 to 1256, murdering their victims, usually Crusaders

assassin

²

/ əˈsæsɪn /

noun

1. a murderer, esp one who kills a prominent political figure

Word History and Origins

Origin of assassin¹

1525–35; < Medieval Latin assassinī (plural) < Arabic ḥashshāshīn eaters of hashish

Word History and Origins

Origin of assassin¹

C16: from Medieval Latin assassīnus, from Arabic hashshāshīn, plural of hashshāsh one who eats hashish

Example Sentences

When a sitting vice-president says she has hired assassins to kill the president, and dreams of cutting off his head, you might think that country was in serious trouble.

From BBC

The producers immediately looked to Redmayne to play the titular Jackal, a scrupulous British long-range assassin with an enigmatic quality.

From Los Angeles Times

The alleged assassins behind several recent murder-for-hire cases in Los Angeles were sloppy, authorities say, leaving behind a trail of evidence that links the killings to Chicago gang disputes.

From Los Angeles Times

Alpha Male, sometimes tearing up when he recounts his many grievances, mythologizes Trump, a leader who survived an assassin’s bullet, an army of prosecutors, 34 felony counts and endless scandal.

From Los Angeles Times

When Trump was shot by a would-be assassin in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July, it shook this race and this nation profoundly.

From BBC