Where does “greenmail” come from?
greenmail (English) comes from English greenback, from English back, from French bac, from French baccalauréat, from Medieval Latin baccalaureatus, from Latin baccalaureus, from Latin laurea, from Latin laurus — Forms comparative adjectives.
greenmail (English): Profiting from an attempted hostile takeover by...
Definitions
- Profiting from an attempted hostile takeover by...
Ancestry of “greenmail”, step by step
greenmail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English greenback
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | greenback | Any bill that is legal tender in the US issued... |
| 2 | English | back | Near the rear; Not current; Far from the main... |
| 3 | French | bac | ferry; vat; high school exit exam in France; A... |
| 4 | French | baccalauréat | baccalaureat; bachelor's degree |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | baccalaureatus | bachelor's degree |
| 6 | Latin | baccalaureus | bachelor |
| 7 | Latin | laurea | laurel, bay tree; crown, wreath or branch of... |
| 8 | Latin | laurus | laurel tree; laurels; a crown of laurel |
| 9 | English | -aceous | Of, relating to, resembling or containing the... |
| 10 | Latin | -āceus | aceous; resembling, having the nature of, forming, belonging to |
| 11 | Latin | -āx | ish, -y |
| 12 | Latin | -ium | Suffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes... |
| 13 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 14 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
via English blackmail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | blackmail | The extortion of money by threats of public... |
| 2 | English | A bag or wallet; A bag containing letters to be... | |
| 3 | Middle English | mal | — |
| 4 | Old English | māl | speech, contract, agreement; suit, case, action,... |
| 5 | Old Norse | mál | language; speech; matter, affair |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | mēlą | measure, measurement; time, occasion; point in... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |