Where does “assault” come from?
Assault comes from Middle English assaut, from Old French assaut (a noun derived from Old French asaillir, to attack), from Latin assilio (to leap at), formed from Latin ad- (to) and Latin salire (to leap).
assault (English): A violent onset or attack with physical means,...
Definitions
- A violent onset or attack with physical means,...
Ancestry of “assault”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | assaut | assault |
| 2 | Old French | assaut | assault; attack |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | assaltus | — |
| 4 | Latin | assultus | an assault |
| 5 | Latin | assiliō | to spring or leap (to or upon); rush (at) |
| 6 | Latin | ad- | to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it... |
| 7 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 8 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 9 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |