assassinate
UK[əˈsæsɪneɪt]US[əˈsæsəˌneɪt]
v
To murder (a prominent person) by a sudden or secret attack, often for political or religious reasons.
v
To destroy or harm treacherously and viciously.
Morpheme Breakdown
assass
in
ate
assass
hashshāshīn
in
ate
to make, to act, to perform
Etymology
The word 'assassinate' has a vivid and circuitous history. It originates from the Arabic ḥashshāshīn (plural of ḥashshāsh, meaning 'hashish user'), referring to the Nizari Ismailis, a medieval sect whose members were reputed to carry out political murders under the influence of hashish. This term entered European languages via Medieval Latin as assassinus, meaning 'murderer'. The English verb was formed by adding the productive suffix '-ate' to a base derived from this noun, creating a term that specifically denotes the act of committing a murder for a political or fanatical purpose. Thus, the modern abstract meaning of treacherous, politically-motivated killing evolved directly from the historical label for a specific group of perpetrators.
Analysis
Structure: assass + in + ate
- assass: From Medieval Latin assassinus, meaning 'hashshāshīn' (a member of a secret order of Muslim fanatics who carried out political murders). It functions as the core root denoting a specific type of murderer.
- in: A Latin suffix, often forming adjectives or nouns from verbs. In this construction, it acts as a connective or formative element.
- ate: A Latin-derived verb-forming suffix meaning 'to make, to act, to perform'.
Examples
The plot to assassinate the president was uncovered by intelligence agents.
In the play, the nobleman is assassinated by his jealous rivals.
Character assassination is the attempt to ruin someone's reputation through malicious rumors.