pirate

The definition of a pirate is someone who steals, particularly at sea.

Examples of Pirate Slang

  • There is no telling how many slang words were truly used by pirates. Even professors of history and linguistic studies can only estimate, however, there are written accounts from voyages and adventures taken long ago that have brought to light the many different slang words and phrases.
  • Shiver me timbers - A simple expression of shock or disbelief
  • All hands hoay - A call to action for the ship's crew for all hands to be on deck
  • Jacob’s ladder - A rope ladder that is used to climb aboard the ship
  • Cackle fruit - Slang for chicken eggs
  • Monkey - Slang for a small cannon
  • Head - The toilet which was a hole cut into the deck of a ship’s head or bow where human waste would go directly into the sea
  • Poop deck - The deck that had the highest back and was above the Captain’s quarters
  • Black jack - A drinking cup made of tar and leather
  • Grog - A drink mixture of water and rum that was used to cover the taste of the spoiled water that sailors often drank
  • In the hog's head - This mean's you are drunk. A hog's head is a barrel of alcohol.
  • Grog - Technically, grog is rum and water, but you can call whatever you're drinking grog if you want to.
  • Avast - When you want someone to pay attention or if you are very surprised, you can say "AVAST!" You may also say "Blow me down!"
  • Arrr - This is the word most pirate jokes are made of. It can mean anything you want it to.
  • Aye - Say "aye" instead of "yes."
  • Pieces of eight - This is money. You can also say "booty."
  • In Davy's grip - This means that someone is near death, probably after drinking a hog's head of grog. Davy Jones is the ruler of the depths of the sea.
  • Davy Jones locker - A place at the bottom of the ocean where dead sailors and pirates would go in death
  • I’ll see you Davy Jones - This means you are threatening to kill someone
  • To have the Davies or the Joneseys - This means that you are frightened

The whole notion of Davy Jones is attributed to an evil spirit who allegedly lurked at sea waiting to escort dead sailors to the sea bottom.

(noun)

An example of a pirate is Captain Hook.

Pirate is defined as to rob or steal, or to publish or use copyrighted material without permission.

(verb)

An example of to pirate is to illegally download music online or to illegally make use of television broadcast transmissions.

YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2013 by LoveToKnow Corp.

See pirate in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

  1. a person who practices piracy; esp., a robber of ships on the high seas
  2. a ship used by pirates in attacking other vessels
  3. one who engages in the illegal recording, transmission, or reception of radio or TV broadcasts

Origin: ME < L pirata < Gr peiratēs < peirān, to attempt, attack < IE base *per-, to bring through, penetrate > fare

transitive verb, intransitive verb pirated, pirating

  1. to practice piracy (upon)
  2. to take (something) by piracy
  3. to publish, reproduce, or make use of without authorization (a literary work, musical recording, videotape, etc.), esp. in violation of a copyright

Related Forms:

See pirate in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. a. One who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without commission from a sovereign nation.
    b. A ship used for this purpose.
  2. One who preys on others; a plunderer.
  3. One who makes use of or reproduces the work of another without authorization.
  4. One that operates an unlicensed, illegal television or radio station.
verb pi·rat·ed, pi·rat·ing, pi·rates
verb, transitive
  1. To attack and rob (a ship at sea).
  2. To take (something) by piracy.
  3. To make use of or reproduce (another's work) without authorization.
verb, intransitive
To act as a pirate; practice piracy.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Old French

Origin: , from Latin pīrāta

Origin: , from Greek peirātēs

Origin: , from peirān, to attempt

Origin: , from peira, trial; see per-3 in Indo-European roots

.

Related Forms:

  • pi·ratˈic (pī-rătˈĭk), pi·ratˈi·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adjective
  • pi·ratˈi·cal·ly adverb

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