Assailer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who launches an attack against another, either through direct physical confrontations or hostile verbal assaults
2. A person who initiates acts of aggression towards others, which can manifest in either physical violence or insulting language
3. Someone who aggressively attacks another person either physically or through harsh words

Etymology: The "-er" here is the same agent ending you find in "baker" or "teacher," attached to "assail," which came into English from Anglo-Norman "assailler," meaning to attack. The noun passed through Middle English as "assailour," so the modern spelling is a later regularization that brought it into line with the other "-er" agent nouns. The verb's own history is the more revealing part. "Assail" traces back through the same Anglo-Norman and Old French stock to Latin "assalire," built from "ad" meaning "to" and "salire" meaning "to leap." So at root, an assailant is someone who leaps at another person. That physical image of sudden lunging sits underneath the modern sense, which now also covers verbal attacks.

Synonyms: attacker, assailant, aggressor, brawler, fighter

Antonyms: defender, protector, guardian, peacekeeper, rescuer