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History of the Word Assassin

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Words are dynamic, ever changing aspects of our world. The meaning of words grow and change over time. Many words have evolved over time to take on new forms and identities with a changing culture. The evolution of our basic vocabulary is bound to evolve and morph into new meanings. Words that have been around for longer are bound to have a variety of meanings because they have been used by people for centuries. Words change meaning over a long period of time due to culture, slang, incorrect usage, and misinterpretation. The word, assassin, much like other words, has progressed and changed meaning over time. In one way it was used to describe a person addicted to the narcotics, hash. Secondly, it can be used as its more prevalent usage currently as a person who is hired to kill. There are many theories about where the word assassin originated, but the most common is that the word assassin had first originated in about 1080 right before the first crusade. There was a certain fanatical sect of Ismaili Muslims that sent forth militants during the crusades to kill Christian leaders. While they did this they were said to be under the influence of hashish, an opiate. One of the primary sources for this account was from the writings of Marco Polo. As a result, the first literal meaning of the word evolved from the Arabic word, hashishiyyin or hashishin, and meant hashish eater or hashish user. However, the term took on a completely different meaning as time went on. As a result

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