different between blackmail vs pressure

English

Etymology

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 "blackmail"; the opposite is blanche firmes or reditus albi "white rent", denoting payment by silver. Alternatively, 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 Highlands of Scotland as well as the Borders.

More likely, from black (adj.) + Middle English mal, male, maile (“a payment, rent, tribute”), from Old English m?l (“speech, contract, agreement, lawsuit, terms, bargaining”), from Old Norse mál (“agreement, speech, lawsuit”); related to Old English mæðel "meeting, council," mæl "speech," Gothic ???????????????? (maþl) "meeting place," from Proto-Germanic *maþl?, from PIE *mod- "to meet, assemble" (see meet (v.)). From the practice of freebooting clan chieftains who ran protection rackets against Scottish farmers. Black from the evil of the practice. Expanded c.1826 to any type of extortion money. Compare silver mail "rent paid in money" (1590s); buttock-mail (Scottish, 1530s) "fine imposed for fornication."

Pronunciation

Noun

blackmail (uncountable)

1. The extortion of money or favours by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure.
2. (archaic) 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.
3. (England law, historical) Black rent, or rent paid in corn, meat, or the lowest coin, as opposed to white rent, which was paid in silver.
4. Compromising material that can be used to extort someone, dirt.

Derived terms

• emotional blackmail
• post-attack blackmail

Translations

Verb

blackmail (third-person singular simple present blackmails, present participle blackmailing, simple past and past participle blackmailed)

1. (transitive) 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.

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

2. (Kenya) To speak ill of someone; to defame someone.

Translations

Related terms

• graymail, whitemail, greenmail

See also

• extortion
• protection racket

Scots

Etymology

From black (“bad”) +? mail (“rent”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bl?k???l/, /?bl?k???l/
• (Southern Scotland) IPA^(key): /?bl??k????l/

Noun

blackmail (uncountable)

1. (archaic) A tribute paid, usually in kind, to reivers or raiders as a form of protection money.
2. Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation.

Verb

blackmail (third-person singular present blackmails, present participle blackmailin, past blackmailt, past participle blackmailt)

1. To extort money from another by means of intimidation.

English

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin press?ra.

Pronunciation

• enPR: pr?sh?-?(r), IPA^(key): /?p????(?)/
  • (UK) IPA^(key): [?p???.?(?)]
  • (US) IPA^(key): [?p???.?]
• Rhymes: -???(?)
• Hyphenation: pres?sure

Noun

pressure (countable and uncountable, plural pressures)

1. A pressing; a force applied to a surface.

   Apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding.

2. A contrasting force or impulse of any kind

   the pressure of poverty; the pressure of taxes; the pressure of motives on the mind; the pressure of civilization.
3. Distress.
   • 1649, Eikon Basilike

     My people's pressures are grievous.

   • October 31, 1708, Francis Atterbury, a sermon preach'd before the Queen at St. James's

     In the midst of his great troubles and pressures.
4. Urgency

   the pressure of business

5. (obsolete) Impression; stamp; character impressed.
6. (physics) The amount of force that is applied over a given area divided by the size of this area.

Synonyms

• (distress): affliction, grievance
• (urgency): press

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

pressure (third-person singular simple present pressures, present participle pressuring, simple past and past participle pressured)

1. (transitive) To encourage or heavily exert force or influence.

   Do not let anyone pressure you into buying something you do not want.

Translations

See also

• (units of pressure): pascal (Pa); bar, barye (Ba); pounds per square inch (psi, lbf/in², lb/in²), torr, mmHg, atmosphere (atm)

Anagrams

• perusers

French

Pronunciation

• Homophones: pressurent, pressures

Verb

pressure

1. first-person singular present indicative of pressurer
2. third-person singular present indicative of pressurer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of pressurer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of pressurer
5. second-person singular imperative of pressurer

Latin

Participle

press?re

1. vocative masculine singular of press?rus

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin press?ra.

Noun

pressure f (oblique plural pressures, nominative singular pressure, nominative plural pressures)

1. pressure (action or result of pressing)

Descendants

• ? English: pressure