Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PI'RATE, n. [It. pirato; L. and Sp. pirata; Gr. πειρατης, from πειραω. See Piracy. Formerly this word signified a ship or sea soldier, answering to the marine of the present day.]

1. A robber on the high seas; one that by open violence takes the property of another on the high seas. In strictness, the word pirate is one who makes it his business to cruise for robbery or plunder; a freebooter on the seas.
2. An armed ship or vessel which sails without a legal commission, for the purpose of plundering other vessels indiscriminately on the high seas.
3. A bookseller that seizes the copies or writings of other men without permission. – Johnson.