Where does “extortion” come from?
Extortion comes from Middle English extorcion, from Late Latin extortio, from Latin extorqueo, meaning to twist out or wring from, formed from the prefix ex- and the root ex-.
extortion (English): The practice of extorting money or other property...
Definitions
- The practice of extorting money or other property...
Ancestry of “extortion”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | extorcion | Extortion; being threatening for the purpose of... |
| 2 | Late Latin | extortio | — |
| 3 | Latin | extorqueo | I extort; I tear away, twist away, wrench out |
| 4 | Latin | torqueō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | terkʷ- | to turn, spin |
Words derived from “extortion”