Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “ransomware” come from?

ransomware (English) comes from English ransom, from Middle English ransoun, from Old French raençon, from Latin redemptio, from Latin redimō, from Latin rĕ-, from Latin prōdūcō, from Latin prō- — passed , crossed.

ransomware (English): Malware that holds the data of a computer user...

Definitions

  1. Malware that holds the data of a computer user...

Ancestry of “ransomware”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishransomMoney paid for the freeing of a hostage; The...
2Middle EnglishransounAlternative form of raunsoun
3Old Frenchraençonfee paid to release someone from prison or...
4Latinredemptioredemption, redeeming
5Latinredimō—
6Latinrĕ-—
7Latinprōdūcō—
8Latinprō-—
9Proto-Italic*pro-—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
12Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
13Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “ransomware”

  • ransomware
  • rensomver
  • ренсомвер
  • рансъмуер
  • ransomware
  • 랜섬웨어
  • ренсомвер
  • ransomvér
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →