I. -ənt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French assaillant, from assaillant, present participle of assaillir
1. : one who assails or attacks
met by assailants and in the scuffle one worker was killed — Current Biography
2. : an aggressive opponent in controversy
an assailant of the religious belief of the day — Leslie Stephen
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle French assaillant, present participle of assaillir, from Old French asaillir
archaic : assailing