Sicario
/siˈka.ɾjo/noun
A hired killer or assassin, especially in Spanish- and Latin American contexts.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin *sica*, a curved dagger so notorious that Roman anti-Jewish polemicists used *Sicarii* for assassins linked to concealed blades.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sek-
“to cut”
Latin
Latin
sica
“a dagger or curved knife”
Late Latin
Latin
sicarius
“a dagger-wielder; assassin”
Medieval/Modern Spanish
Spanish
sicario
“an assassin or hired killer”
Modern English
English
sicario
“a hired killer, especially in Latin American crime contexts”