Barratry

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbæɹətɹi/

Definitions

1. The act of repeatedly stirring up lawsuits or quarrels ; dishonest or illegal behavior by a ship's captain or crew that harms the ship owner or insurer
2. The practice of provoking constant legal conflicts for personal gain ; fraudulent actions committed aboard a vessel by those in command to the detriment of others involved
3. Consistently encouraging lawsuits without just cause ; criminal or deceitful conduct by sailors or officers that negatively affects maritime interests

Etymology: Before it meant a pattern of lawsuits, "barratry" was a word for corruption in high places. In the early 1400s it named the sale of public offices, borrowed into English from Old French "baraterie", meaning deceit or trickery. The French word came from "barat", fraud or cheating, whose origin is unknown; it may be Celtic. The sense that most people now associate with the word arose at sea. By the 1620s, English maritime usage applied it to unlawful acts by a ship's master or crew that caused loss to the owner, such as stealing cargo or deliberately wrecking a vessel. That legal meaning of fraud against an employer was then carried over to the modern sense of a person who keeps bringing vexatious lawsuits, which is the sense the current meaning reflects.

Synonyms: malpractice, fraud, deceit, corruption, wrongdoing

Antonyms: honesty, integrity, lawfulness, fairness, justice