blackmail
black•mail (blak´māl´) n.
[[lit., black rent < ME male, rent, tribute < OE mal, lawsuit, terms < ON lawsuit, discussion; infl. in ME by OFr maille, a coin]]
1 [Historical] a tribute paid to freebooters and bandits along the Scottish border to assure safety from looting
2
a) payment extorted by threatening to disclose information that could bring disgrace or ruin
b) extortion of such payment
—vt.
1 to get or try to get blackmail from
2 to coerce (into doing something) as by threats
—black´mail´er n.
