corsair

[ kawr-sair ]

/ ˈkɔr sɛər /

SEE 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.

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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

Words nearby corsair

corruption of blood, corruptionist, corrèze, corsac, corsage, corsair, corse, corselet, corset, corset cover, corsetier

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
And if so, for a permanent holding rock of protection in the world, her cousin Frank would be at any rate safer than the Corsair.
The Eustace Diamonds|Anthony Trollope

When this had been done, the corsair vessel began to move away from the other, and was soon many lengths distant from her.
The Bee-Man of Orn and Other Fanciful Tales|Frank R. Stockton
A dispute as to an alleged Venetian corsair captured by the Genoese ended in a riot.
Venice and its Story|Thomas Okey
The corsair kept himself in readiness for the expected summons, and continued to spy and report the motions of the enemy.
The South-West|Joseph Holt Ingraham
The Corsair Dragutte, a buccaneer of romantic days, came along and plundered these Ligurian towns as often as he felt like it.
Italian Highways and Byways from a Motor Car|Francis Miltoun

British Dictionary definitions for corsair

corsair

/ (ˈkɔːsɛə) /

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

corsair

noun

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Origin of corsair

Words nearby corsair

Words related to corsair

Example sentences from the Web for corsair

British Dictionary definitions for corsair

noun

Word Origin for corsair