ransom
/ˈɹænsəm/ · noun
Meaning
- Money paid for the freeing of a hostage.
- The release of a captive, or of captured property, by payment of a consideration.
- A sum paid for the pardon of some great offence and the discharge of the offender; also, a fine paid in lieu of corporal punishment.
- (14th century) To deliver, especially in context of sin or relevant penalties.
- To pay a price to set someone free from captivity or punishment.
- To exact a ransom for, or a payment on.
Etymology / origin
No prose etymology has been added yet.
No ancestor words have been linked yet.
Related words
Descendant words
No descendant words have been linked yet.