corsair
/kɔːɹsɛəɹ/ noun
Forms corsairs
- noun A French privateer, especially from the port of Saint-Malo.
- noun A privateer or pirate in general.
- noun The ship of such privateers or pirates, especially of French nationality.
- noun A nocturnal assassin bug of the genus Rasahus, found in the southern USA.
- noun A Californian market fish (Sebastes rosaceus).
Synonyms
buccaneer freebooter picaroon pirate raider reaver sea rat sea-robber sea rover Barbary pirate
Etymology
Borrowed from French corsaire, from Medieval Latin cursārius (“pirate”), from Latin cursus (“course, a running; plunder, hostile inroad”). Doublet of courser and hussar.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A pirate; one who cruises about without authorization from any government, to seize booty on sea or land.
- noun A piratical vessel.
Etymology [F. corsaire (cf. It. corsare, corsale, Pr. corsari), LL. corsarius, fr. L. cursus a running, course, whence Sp. corso cruise, corsa cruise, coasting voyage, corsear to cruise against the enemy, to pirate, corsario cruising, a privateer authorized to cruise against the enemy. See Course.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “corsair”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details