blackmail

CEFRC1

/ˈblækˌmeɪl/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    extortion of money by threats to divulge discrediting information.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Compromising material that can be used to extort someone.

Examples

  • Does that sound like blackmail to you, Tom?

  • He blackmailed a businesswoman by threatening to expose an alleged fraud.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The extortion of money or favors by threats of public accusation, critique, or exposure.

  2. A type of roleplay where the submissive shares information that may be exploited by the dominant.

  3. A form of protection money (or corn, cattle, etc.) anciently paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to the allies of robbers in order to be spared from pillage.

More examples

In context

  • Do not blackmail me.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The corrupt official tried to blank the politician by threatening to release secret documents.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From black + mail (“a piece of money”). Compare Middle English blak rente (“a type of blackmail levied by Irish chieftains”). The word is variously derived from the tribute paid by English and Scottish border dwellers to border reivers in return for immunity from raids and other harassment. This tribute was paid in goods or labour, in Latin reditus nigri (“black mail”); the opposite is blanche firmes or reditus albi (“white rent”), denoting payment by silver. McKay derives it from two Scottish Gaelic words blàthaich, pronounced (the th silent) bl-aich, "to protect" and màl (“tribute, payment”). He notes that the practice was common in the Scottish Highlands as well as the Borders. More like...