assassin

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person who deliberately murders someone, especially a prominent person in a planned surprise attack

   Investigators searched the rooftops for the assassin who had targeted the minister.

From French assassin and Italian assassino, ultimately from an Arabic name applied in medieval sources to the Nizari Ismailis. It is often connected with Arabic ḥashshāshīn, literally 'hashish users,' but the exact history and the popular hashish story are disputed. European use broadened to any hired or treacherous murderer.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images