English Explanatory Dictionary

assassin

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Someone who intentionally kills a person, especially a professional who kills a public or political figure.
  2. Any ruthless killer.
  3. A member of the Nizari Ismaili Muslim community of the Alamut Period.
  4. An associated prime of a module.
verb
  1. To assassinate.

Pronunciation

/əˈsæsɪn/ En-uk-assassin.oga

Word forms

assassin assassins assassining assassined

Etymology

From either French assassin or Italian assassino, from Arabic أَسَاسِيِّين (ʔasāsiyyīn, “people who are faithful to the foundation [of the faith]”) and the folkloric etymology Arabic حَشَّاشِين (ḥaššāšīn, “hashish users; low-lives”). The mathematical sense was introduced by Bourbaki, playing on the notation operatorname Ass(M) and the fact that an associated prime is the annihilator of an element, and so is said to kill that element.

Derived words

assassinate assassination assassinator assassinatress assassinatrix assassin bug assassin fly assassinism assassinlike assassinous assassinship assassin spider autassassinophilia bee assassin counterassassin Great Assassin smiling assassin superassassin
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