English

Noun

assassin ‎(plural assassins)

1. (historical) A member of a Muslim militant group responsible for murdering Christian leaders during the Crusades.
   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essayes, 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 […].

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.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:killer

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

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

1. (nonstandard) To assassinate.

Translations

French

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

1. deadly; fatal; that kills