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Definition of "assassin" []

  • One who murders by surprise attack, especially one who carries out a plot to kill a prominent person. (noun)
  • A member of a secret order of Muslims who terrorized and killed Christian Crusaders and others. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "assassin" in a sentence
  • "The word assassin comes from the Arabic word hashhashshin, derived from the word for the drug hashish."
  • "The word assassin is derived from the Arab hashshashin, which refers to a secret order of Muslim that terrorized the Christian crusaders by committing murder while under the influence of this potent drug."
  • "The term assassin in the stance of foreshadowing involves the broken knob twentieth century generally refers to the hired or on the gearshift of the Garp family's Volvo."