Sicarii
/sɪˈkɑːri.aɪ/noun
Members of a 1st-century Jewish extremist group known for carrying out assassinations against Romans and collaborators.
Did you know?Their name comes from Latin sica, a curved dagger, and Roman writers used it for the hidden blades they allegedly concealed under cloaks while striking in crowds.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sek-
“to cut”
Italic
Proto-Italic
*sikā
“a knife or dagger”
Latin
Latin
sica
“a dagger, especially a curved or concealed one”
1st Century
Latin/Greek
sicarii
“dagger-men; assassins armed with concealed knives”
Modern English
English
sicarii
“members of the ancient Jewish assassin group known for dagger attacks”