assassin (English)

Where does "assassin" come from?

The word 'assassin' traveled into English via French and Italian, ultimately tracing its roots back to Arabic. It is believed to stem from either Ḥashshāshīn, a term for hashish users, or Asāsiyyīn, referring to those faithful to the foundation of their faith. In a modern twist, the mathematical community later adopted the word as a clever play on words, as associated primes are said to 'kill' elements.

Full etymology tree

• assassin (English), 'Someone who intentionally kills a person, especially a professional who kills a public or political figure.'
  • borrowed assassin (French), 'an assassin or other murderer'
    • inherited حَشَّاشِين (ḥaššāšīn) (Arabic)
    • inherited أَسَاسِيِّين (ʔasāsiyyīn) (Arabic)
  • borrowed assassino (Italian), 'assassin, hitman'
    • inherited حَشَّاشِين (ḥaššāšīn) (Arabic)
    • inherited أَسَاسِيِّين (ʔasāsiyyīn) (Arabic)

Direct ancestors

• assassin (French)
• assassino (Italian)

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris