corsair

[kawr-sair]

See more synonyms for corsair on Thesaurus.com

noun

a fast ship used for piracy.
a pirate, especially formerly of the Barbary Coast.
(initial capital letter) Military. a gull-winged, propeller-driven fighter plane built for the U.S. Navy in World War II and kept in service into the early 1950s.

Origin of corsair

1540–50; < Middle French corsaire < Provençal corsar(i) < Upper Italian corsaro < Medieval Latin cursārius, equivalent to Latin curs(us) course + -ārius -ary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for corsair

buccaneer, robber, marauder, freebooter, picaroon

Examples from the Web for corsair

Contemporary Examples of corsair

After writing his letters, Lucan left the Uckfield house at 1:15 a.m. and drove 16 miles to Newhaven, where he dumped the Corsair.
Lord Lucan’s Whereabouts: The Tabloid Rebirth of a Decades-Old Crime
William Coles
February 25, 2012
Some $200 million of the $785 million came from Corsair itself, with the balance coming from its limited partners.
Meet The One Guy Who's Making Money Right Now
William D. Cohan
October 29, 2008
For a price below $2.50 per share, Corsair would be treated like other shareholders.
Meet The One Guy Who's Making Money Right Now
William D. Cohan
October 29, 2008

Historical Examples of corsair

He considered the corsair a moment with his sunken smouldering eyes.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
Yusuf was standing at the corsair leader's elbow speaking rapidly.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
"Pay him, Ali," said the corsair shortly, and he advanced to receive his purchase.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
"I have lived too little with women to be able to give thee an answer," said the corsair.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
He was just, and he had a conscience, as odd a thing as it was awkward in a corsair Basha.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for corsair

corsair

noun

a pirate
a privateer, esp of the Barbary Coast

Word Origin for corsair

C15: from Old French corsaire pirate, from Medieval Latin cursārius, from Latin cursus a running, course

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for corsair

1540s, from Middle French corsaire (15c.), from Provençal cursar, Italian corsaro, from Medieval Latin cursarius "pirate," from Latin cursus "course, a running," from currere "to run" (see current (adj.)). Meaning of the Medieval Latin verb evolved from "course" to "journey" to "expedition" to an expedition specifically for plunder.