assassination
UK: əˌsæsɪˈneɪʃən | US: əˌsæsəˈneɪʃən
n. the act of murdering a prominent or important person, often for political or ideological reasons.
assassination = assassin<killer> + ation<noun suffix>
- assassin: Derived from Arabic ḥashshāshīn (حشاشين), referring to a medieval sect of Nizari Ismailis known for covert killings. The term entered European languages via Italian assassino.
- ation: A Latin-derived suffix forming nouns denoting action or process.
Etymology Origin:
The word traces back to the Hashashin, a secretive 11th-century Islamic sect notorious for politically motivated killings. European crusaders adopted the term, evolving it into assassin to denote a professional killer. The suffix -ation was later added to nominalize the act, reflecting the word’s journey from a specific historical context to a broader lexical meaning.
The assassination of Julius Caesar altered Roman history.
Modern security measures aim to prevent political assassinations.
The novel revolves around a failed assassination attempt.
Conspiracy theories often surround high-profile assassinations.
The documentary examined the psychological impact of assassination on societies.