assassin

Etymology

From either French assassin or Italian assassino, from Arabic أَسَاسِيِّين (ʔasāsiyyīn, “people who are faithful to the foundation [of the faith]”) and the folkloric etymology Arabic حَشَّاشِين (ḥaššāšīn, “hashish users; low-lives”).

noun

1. (historical) A member of the Nizari Ismaili Muslim community of the Alamut Period.
2. Someone who intentionally kills a person, especially a professional who kills a public or political figure.
   What has violence ever accomplished? What has it ever created? No martyr's cause can ever be stilled by an assassin’s bullet. 1968, Robert F. Kennedy, On the Mindless Menace of Violence
   Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee. 2013-06-29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55
3. Any ruthless killer.

verb

1. (nonstandard) To assassinate.