PRIVATEER

Privateer

A privateer or "corsair" was a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign vessels during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend treasury resources or commit naval officers. They were of great benefit to a smaller naval power or one facing an enemy dependent on trade: they disrupted commerce and pressured the enemy to deploy warships to protect merchant trade against commerce raiders. The cost was borne by investors hoping to profit from prize money earned from captured cargo and vessels. The proceeds would be distributed among the privateer's investors, ...

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privateer

Noun

  1. A privately owned warship that had official sanction to attack enemy ships and take possession of their cargo.
  2. An officer or any other member of the crew of such a ship.
  3. A private individual entrant into a race or competition who does not have the backing of a large, professional team.

Verb

  1. To function under official sanction permitting attacks on enemy shipping and seizing ship and cargo; to engage in government-sponsored piracy.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: privateer
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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