spadassin

English

Etymology

From French spadassin, itself from Italian spadaccino (“swordsman”).

Noun

spadassin (plural spadassins)

1. a fighter, duelist.
   • 1837, Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution: A History […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, (please specify the book or page number):

     Bully-swordsmen, ‛Spadassins’ of that party, go swaggering; or indeed they can be had for a trifle of money.

Derived terms

• spadassinicide

Dutch

Noun

spadassin m (plural spadassins, diminutive spadassintje n)

1. (rare, obsolete) Alternative spelling of spadassijn

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian spadaccino.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spa.da.sɛ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

spadassin m (plural spadassins)

1. spadassin
2. hitman

Descendants

• → Dutch: spadassijn, spadassin
• → English: spadassin
• → Romanian: spadasin

Further reading

• “spadassin”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.