# assailant

> English word · Noun · IPA /əˈseɪlənt/ · frequency rank #25,667

## Definitions
1. Someone who attacks or assails another violently, or criminally.
2. A hostile critic or opponent.

## Etymology
From Old French assaillant, from the verb assaillir, from Late Latin assalīre, from Latin ad (“to, towards”) + salīre (“to jump”). Equivalent to assail + -ant.

## Common misspellings (11)
`asailant`, `asasilant`, `assaialnt`, `assailannt`, `assailantt`, `assailatn`, `assaillant`, `assailnat`, `assaliant`, `assialant`, `sasailant`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/assailant