Privateer

/ˌpraɪvəˈtɪr/

noun

A pirate authorized by a government to attack and steal from enemy ships during wartime.

The English king gave the privateers the right to attack Spanish ships during the war.

Historical

Definition 1 of 3

Pro Tip 1/3

Privateers played a role in naval history and were not considered outright pirates due to government backing.

Studying the Golden Age of Piracy, you'll learn about famous privateers' contributions to history.

Pro Tip 2/3

Don't confuse privateers with modern piracy; privateers were a legal wartime phenomenon.

Unlike modern pirates, privateers from the past had government permission to capture enemy vessels.

Pro Tip 3/3

Understand the difference: privateers were legal under their sponsor nation's laws, pirates were not.

He fascinated me with tales of his ancestor, a legal privateer, not a rogue pirate.

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