pirate

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A person who attacks and robs ships at sea.

   The pirates boarded the ship and stole its cargo.

2. 2
   noun

   A person who illegally copies and sells films, music, or software.

   Software pirates sell cheap, illegal copies of expensive programs.

3. 3
   verb

   To illegally copy films, music, or software.

   He pirated the new game instead of paying for it.

From Middle English pirate, pirat, pyrat, from Old French pirate, from Latin pīrāta (“pirate”), from Ancient Greek πειρατής (peiratḗs), from πεῖρα (peîra, “trial, attempt, plot”). Displaced native Old English wīċing, which was the word for both "pirate" and "viking".

Topics