assassin
[uh-sas-in]
- a murderer, especially one who kills a politically prominent person for fanatical or monetary reasons.
- (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.
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Origin of assassin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for assassin
Contemporary Examples
There was no assassin but despite the overwhelming presence of troops and FBI agents, violent incidents still occurred.
Honoring The Late John Doar, A Nearly Forgotten Hero Of The Civil Rights EraGary May
November 15, 2014
Early scenes show her in an all-white suit, ambushing an assassin.
Indeed, every Assassin's Creed game—aside from a small segment of one—has had a man as its center.
Paul Bowles put it that way in Let It Come Down, a title taken from a Shakespearean assassin just before he strikes.
Susan Minot on Africa, Joseph Kony, and the Limits of Writing About LoveLea Carpenter
February 10, 2014
When her bra was cut from her body, the assassin or assassins also cut off the tab on which the tiny metal clasp was affixed.
Historical Examples
From the first to the last moment of her reign, she combined the courtesan with the assassin.
RidgewayScian Dubh
An instrument in harmony with the sentiments of an assassin.
The Devil's DictionaryAmbrose Bierce
He felt that the family dignity was struck at by an assassin's hand.
Little DorritCharles Dickens
And yet the paper was in his possession; and, she it was who had rescued him from the assassin's knife.
The Inn at the Red OakLatta Griswold
He did not proclaim the vendetta against the assassin of his father.
A Comedy of Marriage and Other TalesGuy De Maupassant
assassin
- a murderer, esp one who kills a prominent political figure
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Word Origin
C16: from Medieval Latin assassīnus, from Arabic hashshāshīn, plural of hashshāsh one who eats hashish
Assassin
- a member of a secret sect of Muslim fanatics operating in Persia and Syria from about 1090 to 1256, murdering their victims, usually Crusaders
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for assassin
n.
1530s (in Anglo-Latin from mid-13c.), via French and Italian, from Arabic hashishiyyin "hashish-users," plural of hashishiyy, from hashish (q.v.). A fanatical Ismaili Muslim sect of the time of the Crusades, under leadership of the "Old Man of the Mountains" (translates Arabic shaik-al-jibal, name applied to Hasan ibu-al-Sabbah), with a reputation for murdering opposing leaders after intoxicating themselves by eating hashish. The plural suffix -in was mistaken in Europe for part of the word (cf. Bedouin).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper