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assaut

assault

noun ah-SOH Less Common

Origin: Latin assaltus (a leaping upon)

Also means

attack

Usage Note

Assaut ends in a silent 't'. The phrase donner l'assaut means 'to launch an assault', and prendre d'assaut means 'to storm' a place. In fencing, un assaut is a bout. The related verb is assaillir (to assail) and assaillant is 'attacker'.

Examples

"Les soldats donnent l'assaut à l'aube."

Natural Translation

The soldiers launch the assault at dawn.

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