Library / English Dictionary

ASSASSIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed

Example:

assassinators of kings and emperors

Synonyms:

assassin; assassinator; bravo

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("assassin" is a kind of...):

liquidator; manslayer; murderer (a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being))

Domain category:

government; political science; politics (the study of government of states and other political units)

Instance hyponyms:

Booth; John Wilkes Booth (United States actor and assassin of President Lincoln (1838-1865))

Lee Harvey Oswald; Oswald (United States assassin of President John F. Kennedy (1939-1963))

Derivation:

assassinate (murder; especially of socially prominent persons)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A member of a secret order of Muslims (founded in the 12th century) who terrorized and killed Christian Crusaders

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("assassin" is a kind of...):

Moslem; Muslim (a believer in or follower of Islam)

Credits