Exaccioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of forcibly demanding money or payment from someone, often beyond what is lawful or fair
2. An archaic term for the oppressive extortion of money, taxes or dues from people by those in power
3. Harsh or unlawful collection of payments, especially a levy imposed by force on those unable to refuse

Etymology: "Exaccioun" is an older spelling of "exaction," the English word for a demand for payment, especially one made under pressure or by authority. It comes from Latin "exactio," a noun built on "exigere," which combined "ex-" ("out") with "agere" ("to drive"). The Latin sense was literally "a driving out," and from there it came to mean pressing something out of someone, whether a debt, a tax, or a fee. The Latin verb "exigere" also gave English "exact," in its older sense of demanding or requiring something firmly. Both words kept that core idea of forcing payment out of a reluctant party. The "-ccioun" ending reflects the French-influenced spelling that English adopted during the Middle English period, when many Latin-derived nouns came into the language through Old French.