Etymology of assassin, up in smoke

Trevor @ Monday April 10th 2006 12:22

The hash-crazed killer etymology we all know and love is, according to Nouvelle Langue Française (via Langue sauce piquante), a nonsense, invented in 1809 by a dilettante orientalist, Silvestre de Sacy. We should, instead, be looking to the Arabic, assas, guard.


Categories: Languages, Splog

« · »

RSS: post comments, blog comments, blog posts

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Share this post
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • Ma.gnolia
  • Meneame
  • MySpace
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
See also
    • This feature doesn't work without post tags, and there don't seem to be any for this post.
    • This feature doesn't work without post tags, and there don't seem to be any for this post.
Writing and translation

Check out the services I provide over at Oreneta.com

Google Reader

I share other stuff over here.

Pordiosería

If you're feeling generous, check out my Amazon wishlists for Deutschland, France , and the UK, or use PayPal to

My 5% bookstore - new stuff



Spanish history

Modern Spanish fiction

Spanish classics

On this day

Barcelona

  • March 22 1460 El prĂ­ncipe de Viana alcanza por primera vez el perdon de su padre, y se viene de Mallorca á Barcelona.
  • March 22 1848 

    En obsequio del beato José Oriol, cuyo fiesta se celebra mañana en la parroquia de Ntra. Sra. del Pino, se cantan en la misma iglesia solemnes maitines á las 4 y media de la tarde de hoy.

Josep Pla, Palafrugell (1918-9)

  • 22 de març de 1919 Alta cultura. Les coses, Ă©s clar, haurien pogut Ă©sser diferents… En acabar el batxillerat, la meva intenciĂł no fou pas d’estudiar per advocat. M’hauria agradat mĂ©s d’estudiar quĂ­mica, i per tal de servir el que jo creia que era la meva vocaciĂł, vaig matricular-me al preparatori de Ciències. Matricular-se! Prenguin nota de la parauleta! El [...]

The peepul's choice

Back to top