Ransom

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Template:Wiktionary The term ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner to extort money or property extorted to secure their release, or to the sum of money involved. Holding people for ransom has occurred throughout history. In 78 BC, pirates of modern-day Turkey captured Julius Caesar and held him on Pharmacusa until someone paid a fee for him. It also refers to demanding concessions from a person or organization by threatening damaging action.

When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French rançon from Latin redemptio = "buying back": compare "redemption".

In Christianity, ransom is the shed blood of Jesus Christ, which made deliverance from sin and death possible for the offspring of Adam.

In computing lore the term ransom note typography is sometimes used to indicate that a document uses too many fonts. In the popular imagination, ransom notes (i.e. letters sent by the captors to those who they expect to pay up) are constructed from letters cut from newspapers to stop anyone from recognising the handwriting of extortionist.

Other meanings

• Ransom or Ransome occurs sometimes as an English surname, and from that it is found in some tradenames and company names. The surname comes from "Ranolf's son" or similar.

• Ransom is the name of several places in the United States:
  • Ransom, Illinois
  • Ransom, Kansas
• See also:
  • Ransom Canyon, Texas
  • Ransom County, North Dakota
  • Ransom Township, Michigan
  • Ransom Township, Minnesota
  • Ransom Township, Pennsylvania
  • Ransomville, New York

• Ransom! was a 1956 film starring Glenn Ford, Donna Reed, and Leslie Nielsen.
• Ransom (film) was a 1996 remake of the 1956 film directed by Ron Howard.

• Elwin Ransom is the protagonist of C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy.

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