English Explanatory Dictionary

corsair

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A French privateer, especially from the port of Saint-Malo.
  2. A privateer or pirate in general.
  3. The ship of privateers or pirates, especially of French nationality.
  4. A nocturnal assassin bug of the genus Rasahus, found in the southern USA.
  5. A Californian market fish (Sebastes rosaceus).

Pronunciation

/kɔːɹsɛəɹ/ en-us-corsair.ogg

Word forms

corsair corsairs

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- Proto-Indo-European *-éti Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥séti Proto-Italic *korzō Medieval Latin currō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Medieval Latin -tus Medieval Latin cursus Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āsjos Medieval Latin -āriusnom. Medieval Latin -ārius Medieval Latin cursāriusder. Italian corsarobor. French corsairebor. English corsair Borrowed from French corsaire, from Medieval Latin cursārius (“pirate”), from Latin cursus (“course, a running; plunder, hostile inroad”). Doublet of courser and hussar.

Synonyms

buccaneer corsair freebooter picaroon pirate raider reaver sea rat sea-robber sea rover

Derived words

Turkish corsair

Translations

French: corsaire Hungarian: korzár Ido: korsaronavo Japanese: 海賊（船）（かいぞく（せん） Japanese: kaizoku） Portuguese: corsário Russian: капер Spanish: buque corsario
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