extotion |
blackmail |
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.
As a verb 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.
