What does "pirate" mean?
Pirate: An armed ship or vessel which sails without a legal commission, for the purpose of plundering other vessels on the high seas.
Additional senses
- 2.One who infringes the law of copyright, or publishes the work of an author without permission. Pirate perch (Zoöl.), a fresh-water percoid fish of the United States (Aphredoderus Sayanus). It is of a dark olive color, speckled with blackish spots.
- 3.To play the pirate; to practice robbery on the high seas.
- 4.To publish, as books or writings, without the permission of the author. They advertised they would pirate his edition. Pope.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00