From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
extort
v 1: obtain through intimidation
2: obtain by coercion or intimidation; "They extorted money
from the executive by threatening to reveal his past to
the company boss"; "They squeezed money from the owner of
the business by threatening him" [syn: squeeze, rack,
gouge, wring]
3: get or cause to become in a difficult or laborious manner
[syn: wring from]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Extort \Ex*tort"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Extorted; p. pr. & vb.
n. Extorting.] [L. extortus, p. p. of extorquere to twist
or wrench out, to extort; ex out + torquere to turn about,
twist. See Torsion.]
1. To wrest from an unwilling person by physical force,
menace, duress, torture, or any undue or illegal exercise
of power or ingenuity; to wrench away (from); to tear
away; to wring (from); to exact; as, to extort
contributions from the vanquished; to extort confessions
of guilt; to extort a promise; to extort payment of a
debt.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Law) To get by the offense of extortion. See Extortion,
2.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Extort \Ex*tort"\, v. i.
To practice extortion. [Obs.] --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Extort \Ex*tort"\, p. p. & a. [L. extortus. p. p.]
Extorted. [Obs.] --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]