assaults
|as-saults|
🇺🇸
/əˈsɔlt/
🇬🇧
/əˈsɔːlt/
(assault)
attack or threat
Etymology
'assault' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'assaut', where the root comes from Latin 'assilire' (sometimes shown as 'assalire'), meaning 'to leap upon' (from 'ad-' meaning 'to' + 'salire' meaning 'to leap').
'assault' changed from Old French 'assaut' into Middle English forms such as 'assaute' and 'assault', and eventually became the modern English word 'assault'.
Initially, it meant 'to leap upon' or 'a sudden attack', but over time it evolved into the broader modern sense of 'a violent or forceful attack' (including legal and figurative uses).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'assault': a violent physical attack on someone.
The police investigated three assaults reported in the neighborhood last week.
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Noun 2
an attempt to harm someone physically or to cause them to fear immediate violence (legal sense).
The accused faced multiple assaults in the court filings.
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Noun 3
a strong, often sudden, offensive action against something non-physical (e.g., 'an assault on the senses').
The festival's loud music and bright lights were memorable assaults on the senses.
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Verb 1
third-person singular present of 'assault': attacks someone physically or violently.
He often assaults anyone who disagrees with him, according to witnesses.
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Last updated: 2025/11/01 21:26