/extort/

 

/extort/

 

Verb.

 

-) Pronunciation and accent: ɛkstɔːt. 

 

-) Etymology: from Latin extortus, preterite participle of extorquere (= to twist or wrench out, to extort), from ex- (= out) + torquere (= to turn about, twist).

 

-) Preterite tense: extorted.

 

-) Preterite participle: extorted.

 

-) Present participle: extorting.

 

-) It is dated from the beginning of 1500.

Transitively: 1. a. To obtain (something immaterial, as a confession) from a person by extortion, torture, intimidation, threat, or the like. b. To acquire or gain (something material, as money) from a person by extortion, torture, intimidation, threat, exaction, or the like.

-) Synonyms of the verb extort: to wrest, wring.

 

-) Translation: extorquer, in French; extorsionar, in Spanish; estorcere, in Italian.

Against the testimony of Bennet, the earl produced one of his own letters, in which he acknowledged that his confession was false, and had been extorted by threats of torture and death.

Agnes Strickland… Queens of England 1844

Her malignant influence now began to be felt throughout the whole district, and by dint of menaces and positive acts of mischief, she extorted all she required.

William Ainsworth… The Lancashire Witches 1848

[…] instances in which kings had extorted money without the authority of Parliament.

Thomas Macaulay… The History of England… 1849

-) With the preposition from (very rarely of) + noun standing for the person being subject of the intimidation, etc.:

 

Rich in the accumulated treasures of the East, he extorted from the Romans an annual payment of thirty thousand pieces of gold.

Edward Gibbon… The Decline… of the Roman Empire 1776

[…] he charges Leo with hoarding the treasures which he extorted from the people.

Edward Gibbon… The Decline… of the Roman Empire 1776

But the rascal has held the threat of discovery over Clavering […], and has extorted money from him […]

William Thackeray… The History of Pendennis 1848

The magistrates, however, interfered, and endeavored to extort a confession from Goethe. He, as the son of a respectable family, was to be pardoned; the others to be punished. No confession, however, could be extorted.

Thomas de Quincey… Biographical Essays 1850

“Well, my dear friend,” said my aunt, after a pause, “and you have really extorted the money back from him?”

Charles Dickens… David Copperfield… 1850

2. Hence: to obtain (something, as a promise, a word, etc.) from a person by importunity, persuasion, or the like.

 

He extorted from me a promise of forgiveness.

Samuel Richardson… Clarissa 1748

When we had walked till we were weary, we called up the boat, but both our Indians, Tituboalo and Tuahow, were missing: They had, it seems, stayed behind at Waheatua's, expecting us to return thither, in consequence of a promise which had been extorted from us, and which we had it not in our power to fulfil.

Robert Kerr… Voyages and Travels 1814

[…] he motioned me to the door, but nowithstanding my solicitations and entreaty, I was unable to extort another word.

Louis Chamerovzow… The chronicles of the Bastile 1845

A message to parliament recommending economy was extorted from the king as an introduction to a plan...

William Hunt… History of England 1905

3. Metaphor: (the subject: an immaterial thing):

 

[…] he was attracted to the front door by a sound of voices, and found Lady Marayne had been up still earlier and was dismounting from a large effective black horse. This extorted an unwilling admiration from him.

Herbert Wells… The Research Magnificent 1915

4. Metaphor: to derive (a conclusion) from a text, a speech, etc. by perverting it.

  

 How is it possible to extort a meaning from all this jargon… 

Edgar Poe 

Intransitively: to practice extortion.

 

-) Words derived from the verb EXTORT: extorting, extortion, extorter, extortionary, extortioner, extortionist, extortive. 

 

-) Words derived from Latin torquere, see CONTORT.