privateering
privateering Lexical Profile
privateering Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The historical practice of privately owned armed ships being commissioned by a government to capture or disrupt enemy merchant shipping during wartime.
"The signing of the Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law in 1856 formally abolished privateering among most European powers."
• adjective
Engaged in, characteristic of, or relating to state-sanctioned maritime raiding by privately owned vessels.
"The maritime museum displayed several navigation charts recovered from an eighteenth-century privateering expedition."
• verb
To cruise in or command a privately owned armed vessel commissioned by a government to seize enemy merchant ships (present participle of privateer).
"Several colonial merchant captains spent the duration of the conflict privateering along the Atlantic trade routes."
Word Nuance & Usage
Unlike piracy, which is completely outlawed, privateering historically operated under formal government authorization known as a letter of marque.
• Rhymes for privateering
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived in the mid-17th century from the noun 'privateer' (coined from 'private' on the pattern of 'volunteer'), referring to a privately owned armed vessel commissioned by a state.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.