blackmail English · revision 1926

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈblækˌmeɪl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound of [[black]] and [[mail]] in the obsolete sense “rent, tribute”,^(AHD)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) Middle English ''male'',^(Etymonline) from Old English ''māl'' “agreement, bargaining”,^(Etymonline) [[der|non|mál|t=speech, agreement]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A tribute exacted from farmers in the border counties of England and Scotland by freebooting chiefs, in return for protection from plunder (1552).^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word comes from the protection rackets of clan chieftains in Scotland and northern England, a custom that lasted until the mid-18th century;^(Etymonline) ''black'' refers to the evil of the practice.^(Etymonline) By the 1820s the sense had widened to any payment extorted by intimidation,^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) especially by the threat of exposing a scandal or crime.^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) The verb is recorded from 1852 in Etymonline and 1880 in the OED.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1552 – tribute paid to border freebooters.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1605 – ''(law)'' rent paid in labour or produce rather than silver.^(OED 1989)

+ * by 1826 – any payment extorted by intimidation.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1852 – verb, to extort by threats (Etymonline, 1880 in the OED).^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The [[extortion]] of money or something else of value from a person by threatening to reveal a crime or damaging information.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Something of value obtained in this way.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+ # ''(historical)'' A [[tribute]] once paid to [[freebooter|alt=freebooters]] on the Scottish border for protection from plunder.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To extort money or favours from someone by threats.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To force someone into an action by threats or pressure.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[blackmailer]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[graymail]]

+ * [[greenmail]]

+ * [[extortion]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}