This week’s theme
Words related to mail

This week’s words
snail mail
greenmail

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(GREEN-mayl)

MEANING:

noun: The practice of buying a large quantity of a company’s stock as a means of hostile takeover, then selling it back to the company at a higher price.
verb tr.: To subject a company to this tactic.

ETYMOLOGY:

From green (money), from greenback (US currency note, from the color of its printing) + mail (as in blackmail), from Middle English male (rent or tribute), from Old English mal (agreement, pay), from Old Norse mal (agreement). Earliest documented use: 1983.

USAGE:

“The team pulled together by the bond holders ... suggests that they are in for the longer haul -- not just for a quick buck through greenmail.”
Richard Gluyas; Surprise Move Adds to the Turbulence in Airline Dogfight; The Australian (Canberra); Jun 25, 2020.

See more usage examples of greenmail in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: