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assassinus

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word assassinus

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1200
Borrowed from
Arabic حَشَّاشِين
Ultimate origin
Arabic حَشَّاشِين
From the same root
English assassin ← assassinus

Forms

assassīnus m (genitive assassīnī); second declension[1] The spelling varies widely: asasinus, assessinus, assisinus, hassasinus, haxasinus and others.[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Arabic حَشَّاشِين (ḥaššāšīn),[1][3][4] the plural of حَشِيشِيّ (ḥašīšiyy),[5][4] an Arabic nickname for the Nizari Ismaili sect, made from the word that gave hashish.[4] Etymonline takes the Western forms through medieval French and Italian.[4] Walter Map made a Latin pun on the name, and the DMLBS notes a confusion with the Arsacids.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates the first record to about 1200.[2] The earliest uses are for the followers of the “Old Man of the Mountain”, an Eastern sect famed for murdering its enemies.[5][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Medieval chronicles and pilgrims' accounts used it, often as an adjective, of the members of this Eastern sect of killers or fanatics.[3][5] From there it came to mean any murderer, above all one hired to kill by stealth,[3][5][2] and also a bandit or professional criminal.[2][1] Anglo-Latin has it from the mid-13th century, before English assassin (1530s).[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – First record, for the Eastern sect.[2]
  • mid-13th century – Anglo-Latin uses it.[4]
  • 1530s – English assassin, through French and Italian.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin) An assassin, a member of the Nizari Ismaili sect led by the “Old Man of the Mountain”.[5][3][4]
  2. (Medieval Latin) A murderer, especially a hired one.[3][5][2]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A bandit, professional criminal.[2][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press

Descendants

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Assassinus.” Etymologically, 23 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/assassinus. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·