Ransom is 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 ransom note effect occurs when 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 the extortionist.

See also

• bail, a legal amount of money paid to assure that a prisoner can be released and appear in court

Ransom | Lösegeld | Elaĉeta mono

Ransom. (general noun)

a type of person, male or female, that, though thier physical sex is easily determined, thier choices, actions, and personality suggests that they are nither male or femal, nor do they have a gender, it has in facted been Ransomed, or removed till a time when that individual pays the correct price mentally and emotional to retrieve that identity. This may also be used when refering to a abstinant person. ex: You are such a Ransom. this meaning that the person this is directed at is a blank slate or a virgin. Plural:Ransomies