assassinate

English

Etymology

From assassin +‎ -ate, after Middle French assassiner.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈsæsɪneɪt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /əˈsæs(ə)nˌeɪt/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: as‧sas‧sin‧ate

Verb

assassinate (third-person singular simple present assassinates, present participle assassinating, simple past and past participle assassinated)

1. To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons.
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, “Of Vertue”, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes , book II, London: Val 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 […].

2. (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. M 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 H for R Bentley , and J 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.

Related terms

• assassin
• assassination

Translations

Noun

assassinate (plural assassinates)

1. (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 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.

2. (obsolete) An assassin.
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Symptomes of the minde”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: , 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by 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

See also

• Assassination on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• murder
• regicide

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

assassinate

1. inflection of assassinare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

assassinate f pl

1. feminine plural of assassinato