privateer

pri·va·teer

noun \ˌprī-və-ˈtir\

Definition of PRIVATEER

: an armed private ship licensed to attack enemy shipping; also : a sailor on such a ship

— privateer intransitive verb

First Known Use of PRIVATEER

1664

Rhymes with PRIVATEER

Agadir, atmosphere, auctioneer, balladeer, bandolier, bathysphere, bayadere, Bedfordshire, Bedivere, belvedere, bend one's ear, biosphere, bombardier, boutonniere, brigadier, buccaneer, budgeteer, Cambridgeshire, cameleer, cannoneer, canyoneer, cassimere, cavalier, chandelier, chanticleer, chevalier, chiffonier, chocolatier, chromosphere, commandeer, corsetiere, crystal clear, cuirassier, Derbyshire, diapir, disappear, domineer, ecosphere, Elzevir, engineer, exosphere, fallow deer, fictioneer, financier, fiscal year, fourdrinier, fusilier, gadgeteer, gasolier, gazetteer, ginger beer, Gloucestershire, gondolier, grenadier, Guinevere, hemisphere, Hertfordshire, Holy Year, inner ear, insincere, interfere, in the clear, jardiniere, junketeer, kerseymere, landing gear, lavaliere, marketeer, Meyerbeer, middle ear, missileer, mountaineer, muleteer, musketeer, mutineer, on one's ear, outer ear, overhear, overseer, oversteer, Oxfordshire, pamphleteer, persevere, photosphere, pioneer, pistoleer, profiteer, puppeteer, racketeer, rocketeer, running gear, scrutineer, sloganeer, sonneteer, souvenir, Staffordshire, steering gear, stratosphere, summiteer, swimmer's ear, thermosphere, troposphere, Tyne and Wear, understeer, vintage year, Vladimir, volunteer, Warwickshire, Windermere, yesteryear

privateer

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

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.