Ransom

"The Ransom", John Everett Millais, c. 1860

Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice.

When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French rançon from Latin redemptio, 'buying back';[1] compare "redemption".

  1. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ransom" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 895.