corsair

[kawr-sair]

noun

1. a fast ship used for piracy.

2. a pirate, especially formerly of the Barbary Coast.

3. Military.,  Corsair, 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.

corsair

/ ˈkɔːsɛə /

noun

1. a pirate

2. a privateer, esp of the Barbary Coast

Word History and Origins

Origin of corsair¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of corsair¹

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

Example Sentences

Of the 52 “Barbary corsairs” who were captured by the Dutch in November 1614, only four were north African Muslims, the remaining 48 being “fortune-seeking sailors from England and the Netherlands.”

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Ottoman territories like Algeria were almost wholly autonomous but lacked an official navy, relying on corsairs to protect their coasts.

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Much of its layout dates back to its time as an Ottoman protectorate and entrepot for corsair plunder, in the centuries before a French expeditionary force landed at Sidi Ferruch in 1830.

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Barbary corsairs built coastal watchtowers in the 17th century that still flank several harbors.

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The Lancia Aurelia America is an Italian classic, and the European designers borrowed wraparound windshields and corsair bumper design from their U.S. counterparts.

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