ransomware.
Malware that holds the data of a computer user for ransom, usually requiring or claiming to require payment to restore access.
Meaning & usage
Malware that holds the data of a computer user for ransom, usually requiring or claiming to require payment to restore access.
Software that is released as open source only in exchange for payment.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Latin redemptiō Old French raençonbor. Middle English raunsoun English ransom Proto-West Germanic *samft(ī) Old English sōfte Middle English softe English soft Proto-Germanic *warō Proto-West Germanic *waru Old English waru Middle English ware English -ware English softwarebf. English -ware English ransomware From ransom + -ware.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.