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extort

 [ik-stawrt]   Example Sentences Origin

ex·tort

   [ik-stawrt]
verb (used with object)
1.
Law.
a.
to wrest or wring (money, information, etc.) from a person by violence, intimidation, or abuse of authority; obtain by force, torture, threat, or the like.
b.
to take illegally by reason of one's office.
2.
to compel (something) of a person or thing: Her wit and intelligence extorted their admiration.
Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English (adj.) < Latin extortus, past participle of extorquēre, equivalent to ex- ex-1 + torquēre to twist

Related forms
ex·tort·er, noun
ex·tor·tive, adjective
non·ex·tor·tive, adjective
un·ex·tort·ed, adjective

Synonyms
1. See extract.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Extort is a GRE word you need to know.
So is extralegal. Does it mean:
being beyond the province or authority of law
cut out or off
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Example Sentences
  • It was some time, however, before a smile could be extorted from Jane.
  • He is a man of voracious appetites whose job consists primarily of extorting bribes for his political superiors.
  • They're intimidating us, harassing us and trying to extort us.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
extort (ɪkˈstɔːt)
 
—vb
1.  to secure (money, favours, etc) by intimidation, violence, or the misuse of influence or authority
2.  to obtain by importunate demands: the children extorted a promise of a trip to the zoo
3.  to overcharge for (something, esp interest on a loan)
 
[C16: from Latin extortus wrenched out, from extorquēre to wrest away, from torquēre to twist, wrench]
 
ex'torter
 
—n
 
ex'tortive
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

extort
1520s, from L. extort-, pp. stem of extorquere (see extortion). Related: Extorted; extorting; extortionate; extortionist.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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