piracy

Pronunciation: /ˈpaɪɹəsi/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun hijacking on the high seas or in similar contexts; taking a ship or plane away from the control of those who are legally entitled to it
  2. noun the act of plagiarizing; taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own

Etymology

From Medieval Latin pīrātia, from Classical Latin pīrāta + ia, or Ancient Greek πειρατεία (peirateía). The sense of “unauthorized duplication” developed in England between 1660 and 1710. The English Crown granted strict monopolies over book printing to specific guilds, such as the Stationers’ Company. Printing a book without permission was framed as an unlawful attack on the Crown’s authority and revenues. By labeling rogue printers as “pirates”, authorized booksellers equated them with sea robbers operating outside the bounds of civilized society. By the passage of the Statute of Anne in 1710, this usage was deeply entrenched in public consciousness as the definitive descriptor for the unauthorized duplication of books, and was later applied seamlessly to new media as they emerged.

In classic literature

Synonyms

buccaneering

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
highjacking

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