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Added 8 October 2026

assault

/əˈsɒlt/ noun

In Latin: impetus, assultus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about assault at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A violent onset or attack with physical means, for example blows, weapons, etc.
The army made an assault on the enemy.
A violent verbal attack, for example with insults, criticism, and the like
She launched a written assault on the opposition party.
An attempt to commit battery: a violent attempt, or willful effort with force or violence, to do hurt to another, but without necessarily touching the person, such as by raising a fist in a threatening manner, or by striking at the person and missing.

verb

To attack, physically or figuratively; to assail.
Tom was accused of assaulting another man outside a nightclub.
To threaten or harass. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Origin

From Middle English assaut, from Old French noun assaut, derived from the past participle of the verb assalir, from Late Latin assalīre, from Latin ad (“at, towards”) + salīre (“jump”). See also assail. Spelling Latinized around 1530 to add an l.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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