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Blacken vs Blackmail - What's the difference?

blacken | blackmail |

In lang=en terms the difference between blacken and blackmail

is that blacken is to become black while blackmail is to extort money or favors from (a person) by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, such as injury to reputation, distress of mind, false accusation, etc; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud.

As verbs the difference between blacken and blackmail

is that blacken is to make black while blackmail is to extort money or favors from (a person) by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, such as injury to reputation, distress of mind, false accusation, etc; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud.

As a noun blackmail is

(archaic) a certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently paid, in the north of england and south of scotland, to certain men who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by them protected from pillage.

blacken

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To make black.
  • To make dirty.
  • To defame or sully.
  • Malice delights to blacken the characters of prominent men. — Napoleon Bonaparte
  • To cook (meat or fish) by coating with pepper, etc., and quickly searing in a hot pan.
  • To become black.
  • The sky blackened as the storm clouds rolled in.

    Synonyms

    * (make black ): black, denigrate * (make dirty ): dirty, soil * (defame ): defame, denigrate, sully, taint, tarnish

    blackmail

    Noun

    (-)
  • (archaic) A certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to certain men who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by them protected from pillage.
  • Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also, extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure.
  • to levy blackmail
  • :: to extort money by threats, as of injury to one's reputation
  • (English law) Black rent, or rent paid in corn, meat, or the lowest coin, as opposed to white rent, which paid in silver.
  • Derived terms

    * emotional blackmail

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To extort money or favors from (a person) by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, such as injury to reputation, distress of mind, false accusation, etc.; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud.
  • See also

    * extortion * protection racket ----