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corsair
corsair, a private ship fitted out by an owner to operate under licence by the government against the merchant shipping of an enemy. The word is particularly applicable to Mediterranean waters and is most often associated with the privateering cruisers which operated off the Barbary (Saracen) coasts of North Africa as late as 1825 and preyed on the merchant ships of Christian states. Although many people regarded their actions as piracy, corsairs were usually legitimate privateers licensed by the Turkish government at Constantinople. The word is also used to describe the men who manned these ships. See also barbary pirates.
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"corsair." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "corsair." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-corsair.html "corsair." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-corsair.html |
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corsair
corsair a privateer, especially one operating along the southern shore of the Mediterranean in the 17th century; the word comes (in the mid 16th century, via French) from medieval Latin cursarius, from cursus ‘a raid, plunder’.
Byron's poem The Corsair (1814) told the story of a pirate chief, Conrad, whose chivalry and courage in the end outweigh his vices; the poem had great popular success. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "corsair." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "corsair." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-corsair.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "corsair." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-corsair.html |
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corsair
corsair A privateer of the Barbary Coast of North Africa, and especially Algiers. Piracy existed here in Roman times, but, after the Moorish expulsion from Spain, individuals (with government connivance) began attacks on Christian shipping. The early 17th century was the peak of their activity. Privateering ceased with the French occupation of Algiers in 1830.
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"corsair." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "corsair." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-corsair.html "corsair." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-corsair.html |
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corsair
corsair privateer XV. Not in gen. use in this form before XVII, current early forms being corsale, cursarie, corsar(i)o. — F. corsaire, †c(o)ursaire, Sp. corsario, It. corsale, -are, †-ar(i)o :- Rom. (medL.) cursārius, f. cursa and cursus hostile inroad, plunder, COURSE.
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T. F. HOAD. "corsair." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "corsair." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-corsair.html T. F. HOAD. "corsair." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-corsair.html |
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corsair
cor·sair / ˈkôrˌse(ə)r/ • n. archaic 1. a pirate. ∎ a privateer, esp. one operating along the southern coast of the Mediterranean in the 17th century. 2. a pirate ship. |
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"corsair." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "corsair." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-corsair.html "corsair." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-corsair.html |
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Corsair
Corsair F4U a fast single-seat single-engine fighter aircraft of the 1940s and one of the most successful fighters of World War II.
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"Corsair." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Corsair." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-Corsair.html "Corsair." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-Corsair.html |
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corsair
corsair see Barbary States ; piracy . |
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"corsair." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "corsair." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-corsair.html "corsair." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-corsair.html |
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corsair
corsair
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"corsair." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "corsair." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-corsair.html "corsair." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-corsair.html |
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