Ransomable
/ˈræn.səm.ə.bəl/noun
Able to be released or recovered by paying a ransom.
Did you know?It’s built from *ransom*, a word that entered English through Old French from Latin *redemptio* (“a buying back”), so the core idea is literally rescue through payment.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
redemptio
“a buying back, redemption”
Old French
OF
raençon
“a ransom, payment for release”
Middle English
English
raunsoun
“money paid to free a captive”
16th Century
English
ransom
“payment demanded for release from captivity”
Modern English
English
ransomable
“capable of being ransomed or bought back”
Explore more surprising origins