assassin Hear it!

assassin definition

as·sas·sin (ə sas′ən)

noun

  1. a member of a secret terrorist sect of Muslims of the 11th-13th cent., who killed their political enemies as a religious duty, allegedly while under the influence of hashish
  2. a murderer who strikes suddenly and by surprise: now generally used of the killer of a politically important or prominent person

Etymology: Fr < ML assassinus < Ar ḥashshāshīn, hashish users < ḥashīsh, hemp

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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