Pirate

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈpaɪɹət/

Definitions

1. A person who robs ships at sea or engages in maritime theft and plunder
2. An individual who commits robbery against maritime targets or violates intellectual property rights through unauthorized copying and sharing
3. Someone who attacks and steals from ships on the ocean ; a person who illegally copies or distributes copyrighted material

Etymology: The Greek word from which "pirate" descends was built on a word for trial. In ancient Greek, "peiratḗs" meant something like "one who attempts or tries," and it came from "peîra," meaning trial, attempt, or plot. The sense of a sea robber was a later development, so the word started out describing someone who was testing their luck rather than someone who seized ships. The word passed into Latin as "pīrāta," and from there into Old French as "pirate" before reaching Middle English in the form "pirate," "pirat," or "pyrat." Its arrival displaced an older English word, "wīċing," which was the standard term for both a pirate and a viking. That earlier term is a reminder of how closely Norse seafaring raiders and sea robbers were once linked in English speech.

Synonyms: buccaneer, corsair, privateer, raider, freebooter

Antonyms: merchant, trader, law-abider, civilian, non-combatant