sea robber
- noun
- /si ˈrɑbər/
- Archaic
:
pirata
- The history books are filled with tales of notorious sea robbers from the Caribbean.
Examples
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Many sea robbers used to attack merchant ships to steal their cargo.
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In the 18th century, brave sailors hunted down sea robbers who threatened safe passage on trade routes.
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If previous generations could defeat the Barbary corsairs, the Caribbean buccaneers, and the Red Sea men, surely this generation can defeat the ragtag sea robbers of Somalia.
Academic text (2009)
Synonyms
356
3.3
A person who attacks and robs ships at sea
186
1.0
A person who steals from others by using or threatening to hurt them
29
5.1
A person who enters a place to steal things by force
24
9.5
A pirate who attacks and robs ships at sea
16
8.8
A person who attacks places to steal things
1
7.2
A person who steals things by force from places like shops or homes during war
1
9.9
A person who steals goods during war, often from villages or ships
1
8.1
A person who steals things from places like shops, often during war
A person who robs ships and coastal places at sea without government permission
A sailor who attacks and steals from other ships, often in past wars
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'someone who robs at sea; a pirate' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'sea' (location) + 'robber' (person who steals), i.e. an agent who robs on the sea. This locative–agent compounding is a regular, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
The name sea robber comes from a simple picture: a robber on the sea, jumping onto ships to steal goods. That's why it means 'someone who robs ships' or 'pirate' today.