Assassination - Etymology

Etymology

The word assassin is often believed to derive from the word Hashshashin (Persian: حشّاشين, ħashshāshīyīn, also Hashishin, Hashashiyyin, or Assassins), and shares its etymological roots with hashish ( /hæˈʃiːʃ/ or /ˈhæʃiːʃ/; from Arabic: حشيش ḥashīsh). However, it has been strongly argued that this was a point made out of mis-translation, as pointed out by Amin Malouf, and that the origin of the term in Middle Eastern culture comes from phrase Asasiyun, meaning those who follow the Asas; believers in the foundation of faith. It referred to a group that was part of the Nizari branch of the Ismā'īlī Shia. Founded by the Hassan-i Sabbah, the Assassins were active in the fortress of Alamut in Iran from the 8th to the 14th centuries, and also controlled the castle of Masyaf in Syria. The group killed members of the Muslim Abbasid, Seljuq, and Christian Crusader élite for political and religious reasons. Although it is commonly believed that assassins were under the influence of hashish during their killings or during their indoctrination, there is debate as to whether these claims have merit, with many Eastern writers and an increasing number of western academics coming to believe that drug-taking was not the key feature behind the name. The term political assassination, similar in meaning to "swiftboating," is often used as a synonym for a smear campaign. The earliest known literary use of the word assassination is in Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1605).