Etymograph

English

extortion

Extortion comes from Latin extorqueō ‘to obtain or take away by force, extort’, from torqueō ‘to spin, whirl, twirl, turn, cause to revolve’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*terkʷ-‘to turn, spin’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*torkʷ-éye-tireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*torkʷejōreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*torkʷeōreconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtorqueō‘to spin, whirl, twirl, turn, cause to revolve’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEextorqueō‘to obtain or take away by force, extort’
  7. Late Latinmodernextortiō
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500extorcion
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1986extortion

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*terkʷ-‘to turn, spin’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*torkʷ-éye-tireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*torkʷejōreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*torkʷeōreconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtorqueō‘to spin, whirl, twirl, turn, cause to revolve’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEextorqueō‘to obtain or take away by force, extort’
  7. Late Latinmodernextortiō
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500extorcion
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1986extortion

Earliest quotation: 1986, Bill Watterson: “Heck, what's a little extortion among friends?”

Equivalent to extort + -ion

Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- ‘to turn, spin’

…

Latin torqueō ‘twist, turn’

Latin ex ‘out’

Latin extorquere ‘to twist or wrench out, to extort’

Latin extortus ‘extorted’

English extort

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- ‘to turn, spin’

queer, tart, thwart, trowel, tortious, 19 more

through Proto-Italic *torkʷeō

retort, tortuous, torturous, contortion, 16 more

through Latin torqueō ‘to spin, whirl, twirl, turn, cause to revolve’

torture, torch, torque, torment, distort, tort, torsion, 20 more

Today it means

noun The practice of extorting money or other property by the use of force or threats.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- / extortion

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