assassination

as-sas-si-na-tion · noun

imported

Definitions

1.
The murder of a prominent person, especially for political or ideological reasons.
2.
The act of deliberately destroying someone's reputation or character (figurative).

plural: assassinations

•
character assassination — a deliberate and sustained effort to damage someone's reputation
•
assassination attempt — a failed effort to assassinate someone

From Medieval Latin assassinatio, from assassinare ("to kill"), ultimately from Arabic hashshashin.