assassin

Etymology

From either French assassin or Italian assassino, from Arabic حَشَّاشِين‎ (ḥaššāšīn, “hashish users”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈsæsɪn/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æsɪn

Noun

assassin (plural assassins)

1. (historical) A member of a Muslim group who employed assassination of key enemy figures as their tactic.
   • 1603, John Florio, transl.; Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes, […], printed at London: […] Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:
     , II.29:

     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 […].

   (by extension, historical) A member of the Nizari Ismaili sect of Islam

2. 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.

3. Any ruthless killer.

Verb

assassin (third-person singular simple present assassins, present participle assassining, simple past and past participle assassined)

1. (nonstandard) To assassinate.

Etymology

From either Arabic حَشَّاشِين‎ (ḥaššāšīn, “hashish users”) or أَسَاسِيُّون‎ (ʾasāsiyyūn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.sa.sɛ̃/

Noun

assassin m (plural assassins)

1. an assassin

Adjective

assassin (feminine singular assassine, masculine plural assassins, feminine plural assassines)

1. deadly; fatal; that kills

Further reading

• “assassin” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).