assassinate
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əˈsæsɪneɪt/
- (General American) IPA(key): /əˈsæs(ə)nˌeɪt/
Audio (General American): (file) - Hyphenation: as‧sas‧sin‧ate
Etymology 1
From assassin + -ate, after Middle French assassiner.
Verb
assassinate (third-person singular simple present assassinates, present participle assassinating, simple past and past participle assassinated)
- To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons. [from 17th c.]
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, “Of Vertue”, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC, page 408:
- The Assassines, a nation depending of Phœnicia, are esteemed among the Mahometists […]. And thus was our Earle Raymond of Tripoli murthered or assassinated (this word is borrowed from their name) in the middest of his Citie, during the time of our warres in the holy land […].
- (figuratively) To harm, ruin, or defame severely or destroy by treachery, slander, libel, or obscure attack.
- 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 67:
- Such uſage as your honourable Lords / Afford me aſſaſſinated and betray'd, […]
- 1682 December 15 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John] Dryden, [Nathaniel] Lee, The Duke of Guise. A Tragedy. […], London: […] T[homas] H[odgkin] for R[ichard] Bentley […], and J[acob] Tonson […], published 1683, →OCLC, Act V, scene i, page 62:
- But vvhen your Rhimes aſſaſſinate our Fame, / You hug your nauſeous, blund'ring Ballad-vvits, / And pay 'em as if Nonſence vvere a merit, / If it can mean but Treaſon.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
to murder by sudden or obscure attack
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Etymology 2
From assassin + -ate (noun-forming suffix)
Noun
assassinate (plural assassinates)
- (obsolete) Assassination, murder.
- 1609 December (first performance), Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Epicoene, or The Silent Woman. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):, originally Act II Scene II page 187 but Scene I in Gifford’s 1816 edition volume III pages 367–368
- Mor. Why? if I had made an assassinate upon your Father; vitiated your Mother: ravished your Sisters―
Tru. I would kill you, Sir, I would kill you, if you had.
Mor. Why? you do more in this, Sir: it were a vengeance centuple, for all facinorous Acts, that could be nam'd, to do that you do.
- (obsolete) An assassin.
- 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Symptomes of the minde”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 1, section 3, member 1, subsection 2, page 164:
- Yet again, many of them deſperat hairebraines, raſh, careleſſe, fit to be Aſſaſinates, as being voide of all Feare and Sorrow […]
Translations
assassination — see assassination
assassin — see assassin
See also
Assassination on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - murder
- regicide
Etymology 1
Verb
assassinate
- inflection of assassinare:
Etymology 2
Participle
assassinate f pl
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