letter of marque

noun

license or commission granted by a state to a private citizen to capture and confiscate the merchant ships of another nation.

Also letters of marque.

Origin of letter of marque

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Also called letter of marque and reprisal, letters of marque and reprisal.

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

Examples from the Web for letter of marque

Historical Examples of letter of marque

Shortly afterward the Milford, accompanied by a British letter-of-marque, put in an appearance, and gave chase.
The Story of John Paul Jones
Chelsea Curtis Fraser
The ship fell in with an American letter-of-marque, and the first lieutenant was ordered to board the American ship.
Historic Boyhoods
Rupert Sargent Holland
In that day, even a French ship-of-the-line was no model of discipline or order, and a letter-of-marque was consequently worse.
Afloat And Ashore
James Fenimore Cooper
The prize proved to be the ship I have mentioned, a letter-of-marque, from Guadaloupe, bound to Nantes.
Afloat And Ashore
James Fenimore Cooper
Well, as if that wern't enough, we ship together again in this vessel, and a time we had of it with the French letter-of-marque.
Afloat And Ashore
James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for letter of marque

letter of marque

letters of marque

noun

a licence granted by a state to a private citizen to arm a ship and seize merchant vessels of another nation

a similar licence issued by a nation allowing a private citizen to seize goods or citizens of another nation

Also called: letter of marque and reprisal

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