assassinate

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /əˈsæsəˌneɪt/ UK /əˈsæsɪneɪt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to murder a prominent person by sudden or secret attack

Conspirators plotted to assassinate the visiting head of state.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to murder a prominent... murder kill slay executeliquidatedispatch

Word family

Derived forms assassinationassassinator

Related forms assassin

Etymology

From Medieval Latin assassinatus, from assassinus ('assassin'), via Italian from Arabic ḥashshāshīn ('hashish-eaters'), a name applied to a sect of Nizari Ismailis in the medieval Levant.

assassinus Latin ḥashshāshīn Arabic

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People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

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# assassinate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /əˈsæsəˌneɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈsæsɪneɪt/

## Meanings
1. to murder a prominent person by sudden or secret attack

## Examples
- Conspirators plotted to assassinate the visiting head of state.

## Synonyms
- murder
- kill
- slay
- execute
- liquidate
- dispatch

## Derived Forms
- assassination
- assassinator

## Related Forms
- assassin

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: assassinus
- Root: ḥashshāshīn

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin assassinatus, from assassinus ('assassin'), via Italian from Arabic ḥashshāshīn ('hashish-eaters'), a name applied to a sect of Nizari Ismailis in the medieval Levant.

## AI Etymology
Assassinate is from Medieval Latin assassinatus, from assassinus ('assassin'), via Italian from Arabic ḥashshāshīn ('hashish-eaters'), a name applied to a sect of Nizari Ismailis in the medieval Levant. Important recorded forms include assassinus (Latin) and ḥashshāshīn (Arabic). The current sense covers to murder a prominent person by sudden or secret attack. The wider family includes derived forms such as assassination and assassinator and related words such as assassin.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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assassinate

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