Where does “ransomware” come from?
ransomware (Dutch) comes from English ransomware, from English ransom, from Middle English ransoun, from Old French raençon, from Latin redemptio, from Latin redimō, from Latin rĕ-, from Latin prōdūcō — passed , crossed.
ransomware (Dutch): ransomware
Ancestry of “ransomware”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | ransomware | Malware that holds the data of a computer user... |
| 2 | English | ransom | Money paid for the freeing of a hostage; The... |
| 3 | Middle English | ransoun | Alternative form of raunsoun |
| 4 | Old French | raençon | fee paid to release someone from prison or... |
| 5 | Latin | redemptio | redemption, redeeming |
| 6 | Latin | redimō | — |
| 7 | Latin | rĕ- | — |
| 8 | Latin | prōdūcō | — |
| 9 | Latin | prō- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |