From Middle English assaut, from Old French - noun assaut, derived from the past participle of the verb assalir, from Late Latin assalio, from Latin ad + salīre.

• (British) IPA: /əˈsɔːlt/
• (America) IPA: /əˈsɔlt/
• (cot-caught) IPA: /əˈsɑlt/
  • (regional) IPA: /əˈsʌlt/

assault

1. A violent onset or attack with physical means, for example blows, weapons, etc.

   The army made an assault on the enemy.

   • 1855–1858, William H[ickling] Prescott, History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, →OCLC ↗:

     The Spanish general prepared to renew the assault.

   • 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion, Book 5:

     Unshaken bears the assault / Of their most dreaded foe, the strong southwest.

2. A violent verbal attack, for example with insults, criticism, and the like

   She launched a written assault on the opposition party.

3. (criminal legal) An attempt to commit battery: a violent attempt, or willful effort with force or violence, to do hurt to another, but without necessarily touching the person, such as by raising a fist in a threatening manner, or by striking at the person and missing.
4. (singulare tantum, legal) The crime whose action is such an attempt.
5. (tort legal) An act that causes someone to apprehend imminent bodily harm (such as brandish#Verb a weapon).
6. (singulare tantum, legal) The tort whose action is such an act.
7. (fencing) A non-competitive combat between two fencers.

• onfall, onrush

• French: assaut, agression
• German: Anschlag, Überfall, Angriff
• Italian: assalto, attacco, aggressione, arrembaggio, all'arrembaggio
• Portuguese: agressão, ataque, assalto (chiefly in military contexts)
• Russian: нападе́ние
• Spanish: asalto, acometimiento, agresión, ataque

• Portuguese: agressão, ataque

• Italian: aggressione
• Portuguese: agressão

• Italian: aggressione
• Portuguese: agressão

• Portuguese: assalto

assault (assaults, present participle assaulting; simple past and past participle assaulted)

1. (transitive) To attack, physically or figuratively; to assail.

   Tom was accused of assaulting another man outside a nightclub.

   Loud music assaulted our ears as we entered the building.

2. (transitive) To threaten or harass.

• French: attaquer, agresser
• German: überfallen, angreifen
• Italian: attaccare, aggredire, assalire, molestare
• Portuguese: agredir
• Russian: напада́ть
• Spanish: asaltar, atacar, agredir