privateer

listen to the pronunciation of privateer
English - English
A private individual entrant into a race or competition who does not have the backing of a large, professional team
A privately owned warship that had official sanction to attack enemy ships and take possession of their cargo
An officer or any other member of the crew of such a ship
To function under official sanction permitting attacks on enemy shipping and seizing ship and cargo; to engage in government-sponsored piracy
a vessel owned and officered by private persons, but carrying on maritime war
{n} a ship of war belonging to private citizens, commissioned to take prizes
An armed private vessel which bears the commission of the sovereign power to cruise against the enemy
a privately owned warship commissioned to prey on the commercial shipping or warships of an enemy nation
a privately owned vessel armed with guns which operated in time of war against the trading vessels of an enemy nation Each privateer was given a a 'letter of marque' which was regarded as a commission to seize any enemy shipping as a 'prize' The name 'privateer' has come to refer to both the ship and the men who sailed in her
The commander of a privateer
Privately owned vessel commissioned by a state at war to attack enemy ships, usually merchant vessels. All nations engaged in privateering from the earliest times until the 19th century. Crews were not paid by the government but were entitled to receive portions of the value of any cargo they seized. Limiting privateers to the activities laid down in their commissions was difficult, and the line between privateering and piracy was often blurred. In 1856, by the Declaration of Paris, Britain and other major European countries (except Spain) declared privateering illegal; the U.S. finally repudiated it at the end of the 19th century, and Spain agreed to the ban in 1908. See also buccaneer, Francis Drake, William Kidd, Jean Laffite
Legalizes pirates There were issued with documents allowing them to attack enemy ships
A person who owns a ship and has a licence from the ruler of a country to attack the ships of other countries In peacetime, it is a form of legal piracy
a sailor with a letter of marque from the government granting him permission to raid the ships of enemy countries Often, the difference between pirate and privateer was merely a question of who had signed the letter of marque
To cruise in a privateer
A racer competing without benefit of a factory contract or major sponsor support
an officer or crew member of a privateer
An armed vessel owned and officered by private individuals holding a government commission and authorized for war service
a privately owned warship commissioned to prey on the commercial shipping or warships of an enemy nation an officer or crew member of a privateer
{i} sailor or officer of a warship; warship, ship commissioned by a government to fight enemies
See Letters of marque, under Marque
privateers
plural of privateer
privateers
third-person singular of privateer
privateer
Favorites