assaulted
UK[əˈsɔːltɪd]US[əˈsɒltɪd]
v
(past tense and past participle of assault) to make a violent physical attack on someone
v
(past tense and past participle of assault) to attack a place by surrounding it with military force
v
(past tense and past participle of assault) to attack or criticize someone or something strongly
Morpheme Breakdown
as
sault
ed
as
sault
ed
Etymology
the word 'assaulted' originates from the latin verb 'assultare', meaning 'to leap upon' or 'to jump at', which is a frequentative form of 'assilire' ('to leap on'). this verb itself is composed of 'ad-' ('to, at') and 'salire' ('to leap'). the core image is one of a sudden, aggressive leap onto a target. this literal sense of a physical leap evolved in old french to 'assaut', meaning an attack, and entered middle english as 'assaut' or 'assault', signifying a violent onset. the '-ed' suffix is the standard germanic marker for the past tense and participle, attached to the anglicized french root. thus, the modern term 'assaulted' carries the historical logic of having been the target of a sudden, forceful attack, extending from physical violence to military sieges and vehement criticisms.
Analysis
Structure: as + sault + ed
as (latin ad-): a prefix meaning 'to', 'toward', 'at'.
sault (latin saltus): a noun meaning 'a leap', 'a jump'.
ed (old english -ed, -od): a suffix forming the past tense and past participle of regular verbs.
Examples
the victim was assaulted in a dark alley last night.
the castle was assaulted by enemy forces for three days.
her senses were assaulted by the overwhelming noise and bright lights of the city.