1
Stage 1 of 4
ḥashīshī
Arabic · c. 1100s
"hashish user"
a nickname for members of the Nizari Ismaili sect based at Alamut
2
Stage 2 of 4
assassinus
Medieval Latin · c. 1200s
"a member of the secretive killer sect"
crusaders in the Levant carried the term back to Europe
3
Stage 3 of 4
assassino
Italian · c. 1300s
"a murderer for hire"
generalized from the sect's name to any hired killer
4
Stage 4 of 4
assassin
English · c. 1530s
"a murderer, especially of a political figure"
borrowed via Italian accounts of the Crusades
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