assault
UK[əˈsɔːlt]US[əˈsɒlt]
n
A violent physical or verbal attack.
n
A military attack, especially a concentrated effort to capture a place.
v
To make a violent physical attack on someone.
v
To attack a place by a sudden concentrated military effort.
Morpheme Breakdown
as
sault
as
to, towards, at
sault
to leap, jump
Etymology
The word 'assault' originates from the Old French 'assaut', which itself derives from the Latin verb 'assilire', meaning 'to leap upon'. This Latin term is a compound of the prefix 'ad-' (meaning 'to, towards') and 'salire' (meaning 'to leap, jump'). The literal sense of 'leaping upon' someone evolved in medieval Latin and Old French to signify a violent physical attack, particularly in the context of a sudden military onslaught upon a fortress or town. This concrete military meaning broadened over time to encompass any form of violent physical or verbal attack in modern English usage.
Analysis
Structure: as + sault
- as: Latin origin (ad-), a prefix meaning 'to, towards, at'.
- sault: Latin origin (salire), meaning 'to leap, jump'.
Examples
He was charged with assault after the fight.
The castle fell after a prolonged assault by the enemy forces.
The proposed law is an assault on our basic freedoms.