What is "assassin"

Assassin \As*sas"sin\, v. t. To assassinate. [Obs.]
--Stillingfleet.

Assassin \As*sas"sin\, n. [F. (cf. It. assassino), fr. Ar. `hashishin one who has drunk of the hashish. Under its influence the Assassins of the East, followers of the Shaikh al-Jabal (Old Man of the Mountain), were said to commit the murders required by their chief.] One who kills, or attempts to kill, by surprise or secret assault; one who treacherously murders any one unprepared for defense.

1530s (in Anglo-Latin from mid-13c.), via French and Italian, from Arabic hashishiyyin "hashish-users," plural of hashishiyy, from hashish (q.v.). A fanatical Ismaili Muslim sect of the time of the Crusades, under leadership of the "Old Man of the Mountains" (translates Arabic shaik-al-jibal, name applied to Hasan ibu-al-Sabbah), with a reputation for murdering opposing leaders after intoxicating themselves by eating hashish. The plural suffix -in was mistaken in Europe for part of the word (compare Bedouin).

n. 1 (context historical English) A member of a Muslim militant group responsible for murdering Christian leaders during the Crusades. 2 Someone who intentionally kills a person, especially a professional who kills a public or political figure. vb. (context nonstandard English) To assassinate.

1. n. a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a treacherous surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed; "his assassins were hunted down like animals"; "assassinators of kings and emperors" [syn: assassinator, bravo]

2. a member of a secret order of Muslims (founded in the 12th century) who terroriszed and killed Christian Crusaders

Assassin (also Gotcha, Assassins, Killing As Organized Sport, Juggernaut, Battle Royal, Paranoia, Killer, Elimination or Circle of Death) is a live-action game in which players try to eliminate one another using mock weapons, in an effort to become the last surviving player.

Assassin is particularly popular on college campuses; several universities have a dedicated "Assassins' Guild" society, which organizes games for their members. Gameplay occurs at all hours and in all places unless otherwise disallowed by the rules. Since an elimination attempt could occur at any time, successful players are obliged to develop a degree of watchful paranoia.

Assassin originally referred to members of the medieval Ismaili order of Assassins.

Assassin may also refer to:

• Assassin, one who commits a targeted murder or assassination

Assassin is a French hardcore rap group formed in the 18th Arrondissement of Paris. The group was formed in 1985 by Rockin' Squat and Solo. Later, Doctor L joined them, as well as DJ Clyde. The group had a significant presence on the French underground music scene in the 1980s and 1990s, with lyrics referencing social inequalities and denouncing commercialism.

Rockin' Squat is Mathias Crochon, Jean-Pierre Cassel's son and brother of Vincent Cassel. He has tried for more than 15 years to elevate the mind of the ghetto, similar to KRS-One, Immortal Technique, and Chuck D in America. The group undertook national tours in France in the 1990s.

The assassin is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It first appeared in 1975 in the Blackmoor supplement, as a thief sub-class. Assassins are killers and spies; the class is modeled on perceptions of real-world historical assassins.

"Assassin" is a single by The Orb. It was released as a stand-alone single in 1992 by Big Life and reached number twelve on the UK Singles Chart.

"Assassin" is a song by English Band Muse released on their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations. The song peaked at number 6 on 7digital's charts in the final week of 2006.

During recording, the bass drum had a "few" extra microphones, to capture the "most definition possible". These microphones for the bass drum included one inside the drum and two outside. Capacitor microphones were used for the snare drums.

The song is featured on the video game Guitar Hero World Tour.

Assassin is a historical fiction novel by the children's author Anna Myers.

Assassin is a video game for the Commodore Amiga system. It was developed by Psionic Systems and published in by Team17, the company best known for developing the Worms franchise. The game is an action game that has platform and shoot 'em up type gameplay. Assassin was updated and re-released in as Assassin: Special Edition.

The Assassin is a character class common to many role-playing games, often but not always representing the historical Assassin or Ninja. Such characters typically combine combat ability with strong stealth skills, and specialise in defeating an enemy without becoming involved in a protracted melee. Assassins first appeared in many role-playing games including Dungeons & Dragons and its rivals, which influenced later appearances in video games. In many of these, the Assassin class is only available to the player after having advanced in another class, such as the Thief.

"Assassin" is a seventh season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Assassin was a heavy metal band that was formed in San Diego during the summer of 1983 by guitarists Thom Beebe and Vinnie Cavarra. They sought out noted drummer Leroy Vega and, in recruiting him, also lucked into a vocalist, his friend Pete Papps. After a brief stint with bassist Neil Foote, the band settled into its classic early lineup with the addition of Chicago native John Osmon on bass.

Thom brought in a handful of songs from his previous band, Child, and Vinnie had a few songs as well. Assassin took these songs, broke them down, and molded each one to suit the band's direction. With a solid core of material, they began writing Assassin originals that ran from sleazy power blues to hard rockers.

Taking these songs to the clubs and concert halls of San Diego gave the band a chance to "road test" the material. The Assassin live show was well regarded and earned the band opening slots for national acts like Alcatrazz, Girlschool, Coney Hatch, Wendy O. Williams, King Kobra, Poison, Precious Metal, L.A. Guns, Raven, Blue Murder, Grim Reaper, Anthrax, Rough Cutt, and Slayer. With such recognition, Assassin knew it was time to get into the studio.

The Assassin album was recorded in early 1984. From these sessions, the band released a 7" single of the concert favorites, Treason and All Your Love. By the summer of 1985, the band was working towards getting a record deal. It was during this time that Leroy Vega departed for the group Stress and was replaced by new drummer, Dave Bundy.

Assassin played at many San Diego clubs: Straita Head Sound, The California Theater, Carnation Hall, Circle Sounds, Rogo's, The Spirit, My Rich Uncle's, The Bacchanal, The Fox Theater, and even did a show for fans in Tijuana. As Assassin continued to refine their sound, the band was honored in the pages of local metal zine Loud N Clear as Best Local Band and Best Local Song (Treason).

By the end of 1985, Assassin had received several label offers, but was holding out for just the right deal. While working towards that goal, Pete Papps left in January 1986 to form Red Alert, and the band brought in L.A. vocalist Mark "Anthony" Del Papa. Assassin continued on a short while longer before geographical problems with their new singer arose, limiting the bands rehearsal time. Mark Del Papa left Assassin, going on to sign a deal with his band Broken Silence in 1986 and this forced the band to implode. Assassin played one more show with original singer Pete Papps almost two years later at Club Mirage In San Diego, CA on February 6, 1988. This was truly the end of the band and, with the reign of metal on the charts approaching its nadir, the end of an era.

On April 17, 2010, the original Assassin lineup of Pete Papps, Thom Beebe, Vinnie Cavarra, John Osmon, and Leroy Vega reunited in San Diego for a one time only reunion show along with other local bands from the 80's.

The Assassin album was recorded in early 1984 and from these sessions, the band released a 7" single of the concert favorites, Treason and All Your Love. By the summer of 1985, the band was working towards getting "the big record deal" and had licensed songs to a few indie metal compilation albums to raise their profile. By the end of 1985, Assassin had received several label offers, but was holding out for just the right deal. While working towards that goal, vocalist Pete Papps left in January 1986 to form Red Alert, and the band brought in L.A. vocalist Marc Anthony. Assassin continued on a short while longer before problems with their new singer forced the band to implode before recording any additional material. The 2009 Deep Shag Records CD release contains the entire 1984 sessions plus 5 live tracks recorded in 1984 at Straita Head Sound in La Mesa, CA

Assassin(s) is a 1997 French drama film directed, co-written, co-edited by and starring Mathieu Kassovitz. It was entered into the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.

Assassin is a 1973 British thriller film directed by Peter Crane and starring Ian Hendry, Edward Judd and Frank Windsor.

Assassin is a 1969 South Korean thriller film.

Assassin is the third novel of the Samuel Carver series by English thriller writer, Tom Cain, released on 2 July 2009 through Bantam Press.

Assassin (1779 – c. 1794) was a Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1782 Epsom Derby. His breeder, Lord Egremont, won the Derby for the first time with Assassin. Assassin raced until he was a five-year-old and was retired to Egremont's stud in Petworth. He was not a successful sire.

Jeffrey Campbell (born 22 December 1982), better known as Agent Sasco, and previously as Assassin, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay.

Assassin is a British thriller starring Danny Dyer and produced by J. K. Amalou and Jonathan Sothcott. The film was released straight to DVD without a cinematic release.