Etymology

assassinate

as·sas·sin·ate
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Today it means: To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons. Full definition →

First used 17th c.Middle French assassiner
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assassinate · verb1

  1. Middle French · derived fromassassiner
  2. English todayassassinate

From assassin + -ate, after Middle French assassiner.

assassinate · noun2

From assassin + -ate (noun-forming suffix).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 17th c. To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.