Where Does “Assassin” Come From? The Medieval Sect That Changed Political Violence Forever
“Assassin” comes from the Arabic hashshashin — the plural of hashshash (hashish user) — a name applied to members of the Nizari Ismaili sect of medieval Islam, whose fighters were feared for targeted political killings. The name was recorded by Crusaders and travelers including Marco Polo, who associated the sect with the drug. The Arabic plural became the medieval Latin assassinus and entered European languages through Italian and French.