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Glite Dictionary
privateersman

privateersman

9.9
A sailor on a privately owned warship who attacks enemy merchant ships for money
  • noun
  • /ˌpraɪvɪˈtɪrzmən/
  • Archaic
translation icon : corsario
  • The career of a privateersman was both lucrative and dangerous during wartime.

Examples

  • Many privateersmen operated under letters of marque from their governments.

  • The privateersman sailed under a letter of marque.

  • As a young privateersman, he sailed the Atlantic in search of enemy merchant ships.

  • Many privateersmen became wealthy during the war.

  • As a young privateersman, he sailed the Atlantic in search of enemy merchant ships.

  • The career of a privateersman was both lucrative and dangerous during wartime.

  • Many privateersmen operated under letters of marque authorized by their governments.

Synonyms

privateer
vsprivateersman
  • Archaic
4 9.8

A sailor or officer allowed by a government to attack enemy ships during war

focuses more on personal profit motive in that maritime fighting role

Surface Forms

privateersman singular
privateersmen plural

Morphology

privateersman = privateer (semi-transparent) = privateer + man

The meaning of 'privateersman' is derived from 'privateer' and 'man', but the specific role of engaging in authorized maritime warfare is specialized.

Etymology

Privateersman comes from privateer, which is built on private 'not public', plus the ending -man 'person'; a privateer was a sailor or ship owned by private people but allowed by a government to attack enemy ships and take their goods for profit. So a privateersman is a person who served on such a private, government‑approved fighting ship and often hunted enemy merchant ships to earn money.