piracy

CEFRC1

/ˈpaɪɹəsi/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The illegal copying or use of creative work or software.

  2. 02

    noun

    Robbery at sea by people attacking ships.

Examples

  • In China, software piracy is a serious issue.

  • Movie theaters are losing more and more revenue due to internet piracy.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Synonyms
4

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A similar violation of international law, such as hijacking of an aircraft.

  2. The unauthorized duplication of goods protected by intellectual property law.

  3. Robbery at sea, a violation of international law; taking a ship away from the control of those who are legally entitled to it.

More examples

In context

  • SOPA is an acronym for the Stop Online Piracy Act.

  • How should the international community respond to Somali piracy?

  • Some video game consoles use specially designed cartridges to make software piracy more difficult.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The act of stealing ships at sea is called blank.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Medieval Latin pīrātia, from Classical Latin pīrāta + ia, or Ancient Greek πειρατεία (peirateía). The sense of “unauthorized duplication” developed in England between 1660 and 1710. The English Crown granted strict monopolies over book printing to specific guilds, such as the Stationers’ Company. Printing a book without permission was framed as an unlawful attack on the Crown’s authority and revenues. By labeling rogue printers as “pirates”, authorized booksellers equated them with sea robbers operating outside the bounds of civilized society. By the passage of the Statute of Anne in 1710, this usage was deeply entrenched in public consciousness as the definitive descriptor for the una...