Forms: 5–6 assawte, 6 a saute, assaute, assalt, 7 assult, 6– assault. Aphet. 5–7 SAULT, etc. q.v. [a. OF. asaute-r, cogn. w. It. assaltare, Sp. asaltar, Romanic type ad-, assaltāre, f. L. ad to, at + saltāre to leap, spring, which took the place of the L. equivalent ad-, assultāre, freq. of ad-silīre. Cf. prec. and ASSAIL.]
1. To make a violent hostile attack by physical means upon (a person, army, etc.); to commit an unlawful or criminal assault upon the person of (see ASSAULT sb. 3). To assault a city or fortress: (in mod. usage) to attack it by a sudden rush of armed men, to storm.
c. 1450. Merlin, iv. 69. Yef he me assawte with werre.
1513. Bradshaw, St. Werburge, 163. As the kynges were sautynge this forsayd cite.
1604. Shaks., Oth., V. ii. 258. Speake with me, Or, naked as I am I will assault thee.
1611. Bible, Acts xvii. 5. And assaulted the house of Iason.
1685. R. Burton, Eng. Emp. Amer., i. 21. His Horsemen … assulted Atahaliba’s people.
1722. De Foe, Moll Fl. (1840), 269. He should commit him to Newgate for assaulting the constable.
1860. Froude, Hist. Eng., V. xxvi. 206. The next morning Norwich was assaulted.
1884. Daily News, 23 June, 5/3. Two lads of nine were accused of assaulting a little boy of three, and thereby endangering his life. This formal charge covered a story which almost seems to support the theory of diabolical possession.
b. fig. or transf.
1622. R. Hawkins, Voy. S. Sea (1847), 63. The gownes being well soked, every man … tooke one, and assaulted the fire.
1709. Pope, Let. H. Cromwell, May 7, Wks. 1837, V. 66. ’Tis a mercy I do not assault you with a number of original Sonnets and Epigrams.
2. To attack with hostile words; to speak or write directly against; = ASSAIL v. 4. arch. or Obs.
1561. T. N[orton], Calvin’s Inst., I. 18. To shew ye quicknesse of their witt in assalting the truthe of God.
1670. Cotton, Espernon, I. II. 83. The Leaguers … wish’d they had never assaulted the Duke by the way of writing.
3. To attack with reasoning or argument; to address with the object of persuading, convincing or controverting; = ASSAIL v. 5. arch. or Obs.
1551–6. Robinson, trans. More’s Utopia, 15. To assault me until he … persuaded me.
a. 1674. Clarendon, Hist. Reb. (1702), I. v. 464. Hoping … that they would not … have thought fit to assault him with a Newer Declaration.
4. Of things: To come roughly against, so as to batter, injure or hurt; to dash against; = ASSAIL v. 7.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 953. A universal hubbub … Assaults his eare.
1781. Gibbon, Decl. & F., III. xlviii. 25. His vessel was assaulted by a violent tempest.
1850. Lynch, Theo. Trin., xii. 230. The roaring of the waves … assaults our ear.
5. Of physical or mental states, as of disease: To come upon, attack, invade. arch. or Obs.
1594. T. B., La Primaud. Fr. Acad., II. 365. Gowtie persons … be not assaulted with such great and vehement floods of waters.
1774. Mrs. Chapone, Improv. Mind, II. 20. When we find ourselves assaulted by this infirmity.
6. To assail with temptations; to tempt, try. arch. or Obs.
1529. More, Comf. agst. Trib., II. Wks. 1197/1. Nor all the deuilles in hell so strong to inuade and assawte him, as god is to defende him.
1585. Abp. Sandys, Serm. (1841), 263. Satan ceaseth not to assault our faith.
1714. Addison, Spect., No. 598, ¶ 7. Levity of Temper … opens a Pass to his Soul for any Temptation that assaults it.
7. absol. chiefly in sense 1. (In quot. 1575 A saute may be the sb. used interjectionally.)
1489. Caxton, Faytes of Armes, I. ix. 23. To teche hem bettre in all thynges to fighte and to sawte.
1575. Churchyard, Chippes (1817), 106. A saute, a saute, wee lye ore longe in trenche.
1595. Shaks., John, II. i. 408. Say, where will you assault?
1667. Milton, P. L., XI. 657. By Batterie, Scale, and Mine, Assaulting.
b. To attack in fencing: see ASSAULT sb. 1 b.
1694. Sir W. Hope, Swordman’s Vade M., 69. When People assault, it is commonly with Blunts.
Assault, in phr. To be or go assault: see ASSAUT.
