Assassination

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˌsæs.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. The unlawful murder of a significant individual, frequently motivated by political, religious, or ideological objectives
2. Premeditated killing of a notable or influential person carried out for purposes such as political change, religious conviction, or elimination of perceived enemies
3. The deliberate and secretive murder of an important individual, often done to advance a political or ideological goal

Etymology: The word "assassin" has a story that predates the noun it became. It comes from Arabic "hashshashin," the name given to members of a medieval Ismaili sect in Persia and Syria, and the familiar account that they were drugged with hashish before their missions is a legend that medieval sources repeat but that scholars treat with caution. Europeans borrowed the name during the Crusades, and it came into English as "assassin," meaning one who kills a prominent person, often for political reasons. English then built "assassinate" from "assassin" by adding the verb-forming ending "-ate," and "assassination" followed by adding the noun-forming suffix "-ion" to that verb. The suffix passed into English through Old French "-ation" and Latin "-ātiō," so the noun is a relatively late formation on an older stem. Its meaning stayed close to the sense of a targeted, secret killing of someone important, which is why the word is still tied to political violence today.

Synonyms: murder, killing, execution