'Assassin' is a word borrowed from Arabic 'ḥašīšī'. The word entered the English language some time around 1520.
assassin [noun] [circa 1520]
- a member of a Shia Muslim sect who at the time of the Crusades was sent out on a suicidal mission to murder prominent e...
- a person who commits murder
- one who murders a politically important person either for hire or from fanatical motives
See 'assassin' on the Loan Words Map
See more loan words from Arabic.
Etymology: Medieval Latin 'assassinus' from Arabic 'ḥashshāshīn' plural of 'ḥashshāsh' worthless person, literally, hashish user, from 'hashīsh' hashish
See more loan words from 1500s.
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