corsair

Everyday

1. (old) A corsair was a pirate, especially one from North Africa (the Barbary corsairs) who attacked ships in the Mediterranean. tree →
2. A corsair was also a pirate ship. tree →

In the lessons

In history and sea stories, Barbary corsairs captured ships and sometimes raided coasts, even as far as Ireland and Cornwall, to take people as slaves. In The Wind in the Willows the Sea Rat tells of his voyages in the Mediterranean, a sea once full of corsairs. Pirate stories use «corsair» for a dashing pirate.

Examples

• The corsairs attacked the merchant ship. tree →
• Barbary corsairs raided Baltimore in Ireland in 1631. tree →
• The corsair raised a black flag. tree →
• The Mediterranean was once full of corsairs. tree →
• The captain escaped from the corsairs. tree →
• A corsair ship sailed into the harbour. tree →

Note

Countable. Pronounced KOR-sair. Similar: pirate, buccaneer, privateer.