Where does the word blackmail come from

Posted on September 20, As originally used, mail probably referred to rent paid to a landlord. It may derive from the ancient association between the color black and evil deeds.

Part of a two-week series on the pull of bad influences in our lives and in the culture. Nine letters to connote all the dirtiness and manipulation that comes with the threat of disclosure. Confidential missives that threaten to enter the wrong hands? In daytime soaps and murder mysteries, blackmail regularly happens through the transfer of mail. The first textual account of black-maill appears in a Scottish document where serial looter, one Adam Scot, ended his career with a beheading. While we may no longer think of blackmail in terms of material objects of exchange, the initial meaning of blackmail actually stays pretty close to contemporary understandings of the act. As a narrative, however, modern blackmail has evolved.

Where does the word blackmail come from

Blackmail is an act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offence, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a threat to do something that would cause a person to suffer embarrassment or financial loss. A person is guilty of blackmail if, with a view to gain for himself or another or with intent to cause loss to another, he makes any unwarranted demand with menaces In popular culture, 'blackmail' involves a threat to reveal or publicize either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to family members or associates rather than to the general public. Acts of blackmail can also involve using threats of physical, mental or emotional harm, or of criminal prosecution, against the victim or someone close to the victim. Blackmail may also be considered a form of extortion. In many jurisdictions, blackmail is a statutory offence, often criminal, carrying punitive sanctions for convicted perpetrators. Blackmail is the name of a statutory offence in the United States, England and Wales, and Australia, [11] and has been used as a convenient way of referring to certain other offenses, but was not a term used in English law until Blackmail was originally a term from the Scottish Borders meaning payments rendered in exchange for protection from thieves and marauders. The word blackmail is variously derived from the word for mailing in modern terms, protection racket paid by English and Scottish border dwellers to Border Reivers in return for immunity from raids and other harassment. The "mail" part of blackmail derives from Middle English male , "rent, tribute".

And she will not use her death sentence as emotional blackmail to stop the elopement of Lois. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Alternatively, Mackay [ obsolete source ] derives it from two Scottish Gaelic words blathaich pronounced the th silent bla-ich to protect and mal tribute, paymentcf.

The word comes from the freebooting clan chieftains who ran protection rackets against farmers in Scotland and northern England. The custom persisted until midc. Black from the evil of the practice. The sense expanded by to mean any extortion by means of intimidation, especially by threat of exposure or scandal. Compare silver mail "rent paid in money" s ; buttock-mail Scottish, s "fine imposed for fornication. Related: Blackmailed ; blackmailing.

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the verb blackmail. Etymons: blackmail n. Sign in with library card. Sign in as administrator on Oxford Academic. Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into blackmail, v. Please include your email address if you are happy to be contacted about your feedback. OUP will not use this email address for any other purpose. Skip to main content.

Where does the word blackmail come from

Claim: The word "blackmail" came about because it referenced letters of extortion sent via mail. Origins: "Blackmail," a word for the extortion of money or other considerations to forestall the making public of injurious revelations or accusations, derives not from the intuitively obvious source of relating to letters dispatched by those looking to make a buck off their knowledge of the missteps of others. The "mail" in "blackmail" has nothing to do with missives delivered by the postal service nor does it have anything to do, as claimed in one outlandish theory, with freelance knights gone brigand whose chain mail turned to black in concert with their dark deeds. Blackmail instead began its linguistic career as a descriptor for the process of paying off those who would otherwise inflict physical harm i. Its "mail" portion derives from the Old Norse word "mal," meaning "agreement," which subsequently expanded in Old and Middle English to encompass payments made pursuant to bargains struck between two or more parties and then to payments in general. The word did not shift to its current meaning of a bribe tendered in exchange for silence about embarrassing personal matters until around Prior to that time, what was being safeguarded were tangible items houses, cattle, one's physical person rather than intangible one's reputation and secrets.

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As of the 19th century, however, the word had expanded to mean payment extorted by intimidation or pressure or by unprincipled officials and journalists with the power to help or hurt other. Attempt Conspiracy Incitement Solicitation. This indicates that cybercriminals are relentless in their pursuit of targets, with hacker attacks occurring every 39 seconds [25] on average. These women may have been coerced into these actions using financial incentives or threats. Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once? Dubai Police in the UAE stated that there have been 2, crimes that involve blackmail in the past three years. Archived from the original on 12 April As a criminal offence, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. It may derive from the ancient association between the color black and evil deeds. More Commonly Misspelled Words. Toggle limited content width. Featured on. Rape Sexual assault Sexual Offences Act The wrongdoing is self-evident.

The word comes from the freebooting clan chieftains who ran protection rackets against farmers in Scotland and northern England. The custom persisted until midc.

Like Loading Hone your blackmailing chops and you can utilize them in a range of scenarios: betrayal, revenge, moral castigation theirs, not yours. Self-defence Duress Necessity Loss of control Consent inc. My Book Joy. Log in. Sextortion, constituting a form of blackmail, is employed to exploit this power and coerce victims into providing sexual favors or explicit images in exchange for desired outcomes such as job security or academic advancement. Word Icons. Criminal Law Today 4th ed. Missing Letter A crossword with a twist Play. Related: Met ; meeting. Of coffee with nothing added, attested by This section needs additional citations for verification. Ah, the civility of modern extortion. The word blackmail is variously derived from the word for mailing in modern terms, protection racket paid by English and Scottish border dwellers to Border Reivers in return for immunity from raids and other harassment.