assassinate
Other forms: assassinated; assassinating; assassinates
To assassinate someone means to target and deliberately kill that person. The word assassinate is almost always used to describe the killing of a famous person.
When a political leader or very well-known person is murdered, the killer is said to assassinate the victim. A killer might assassinate someone for political or ideological reasons, to gain fame for the act, or possibly for payment by someone else. You can assassinate figuratively, as well, by damaging a person's good name: "If you print that story, it will assassinate my reputation." The Arabic root of assassin is hashishiyyin, "hashish users."
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murder; especially of socially prominent personstype of:killcause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
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destroy or damage seriously, as of someone's reputation
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Vocabulary lists containing assassinate
Learn these words from the history article by Kevin Supples (Inside: Level C, Unit 3). Here are our links to the selections of "Making a Difference": The Civil Rights Movement, Midway, Martin's Big Words; I Have a Dream, Speaking Up, Speeches on the Little Rock Nine Here are our links to the units of Level C: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 8 Here are our links to the Inside books: Level A, Level B, Level C Here is our link to a list of academic vocabulary for Inside: Academic Vocabulary
In the northern hemisphere, September is back-to-school time, with cooler weather and book-stuffed backpacks. On the other side of the globe, it's finally the start of spring. Either way, it's a perfect month for learning new vocabulary words.
All of the English words on this lists have Arabic origins. While some, like caliph and imam, clearly come from Arabic sources, you might be surprised to discover that algebra, chemistry, and zero are also derived from Arabic. Learn these words that contribute to the richness and variety of the English language.