noun
assassin
uh-SASS-un/əˈsæsn/
A person who deliberately kills a prominent person, often by surprise.
The assassin waits near the official’s route.
Etymology
The Arabic ancestor was a nickname for the Nizari Ismailis, variously explained. Their reputation in medieval Europe for murdering opposing leaders turned the sect-name into a general term for a political murderer.
In context
the assassin is hunted down and shot at his hide out in Port Royal Virginia, where he dies soon afterwards, cementing his name in infamy as the man who murdered one of the Greatest Presidents
More examples
- The investigation identified the assassin.
- The novel follows a failed assassin.
- Guards stopped the assassin before the attack.
Forms
assassin · assassins
assassinate verb — deliberately kill a prominent person
Similar words
- killer
- Someone who kills, without specifying the target or motive.
- hitman
- Someone hired to kill.