sīcārius

Homicida denotes the manslayer in a general sense, as far as manslaughter is a crime, like ἀνδροφόνος; whereas interfector, peremtor, and interemtor, only the slayer of a particular person, whether the deed be a crime or not, like φονεύς; percussor and sicarius denote the instruments of another’s will, and mere mechanical executioners of another’s decree; but the percussor executes a public sentence of condemnation, as the headsman, while the sicarius lends and hires out his hand to a secret assassination, like the bandit. Cic. Rosc. Am. 33, 93. Erat tum multitudo sicariorum . . et homines impune occidebantur. . . Si eos putas . . . quos qui leviore nomine appellant, percussores vocant, quæro in cujus fide sint et tutela. (iii. 191.)