Corsair — Cor sair (k?r s?r), n. [F. corsaire (cf. It. corsare, corsale, Pr. corsari), LL. corsarius, fr. L. cursus a running, course, whence Sp. corso cruise, corsa cruise, coasting voyage, corsear to cruise against the enemy, to pirate, corsario cruising … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
corsair — (n.) 1540s, from M.Fr. corsaire (15c.), from Prov. cursar, It. corsaro, from M.L. cursarius pirate, from L. cursus course, a running, from currere to run (see CURRENT (Cf. current)). Meaning of the Medieval Latin verb evolved from course to… … Etymology dictionary
corsair — *pirate, freebooter, buccaneer, privateer … New Dictionary of Synonyms
corsair — ► NOUN 1) archaic a pirate. 2) historical a privateer, especially one operating along the southern shore of the Mediterranean. ORIGIN French corsaire, from Latin cursus a raid, plunder … English terms dictionary
corsair — [kôr′ser΄, kôr ser′] n. [Fr corsaire < Prov corsar < It corsaro < ML cursarius, pirate, orig. swift < L cursus,COURSE] 1. a privateer, esp. of Barbary 2. a pirate 3. a pirate ship … English World dictionary
Corsair — For other uses, see Corsair (disambiguation). Cossacks of Azov boarding the Turkish corsairs. Corsairs (French: corsaire) were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France … Wikipedia
Corsair — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Sur les autres projets Wikimedia : « Corsair », sur le Wiktionnaire (dictionnaire universel) Corsairfly, anciennement Corsair, compagnie… … Wikipédia en Français
corsair — UK [ˈkɔː(r)seə(r)] / US [ˈkɔrˌser] noun [countable] Word forms corsair : singular corsair plural corsairs an old word for a pirate … English dictionary
corsair — noun /ˈkɔːsɛː/ a) A French privateer, especially from the port of St Malo 1840 If I had been born a corsair or a pirate, a brigand, genteel highwayman or patriot and theyre the same thing, thought Mr. Tappertit, musing among the nine pins, I… … Wiktionary
corsair — [15] Etymologically, a corsair is someone who goes on a ‘course’. Latin cursus (source of English course) was a derivative of Latin currere ‘run’, and meant originally a ‘run’. From this it developed to ‘journey’ and ‘expedition’ to ‘hostile or… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
