letter of marque

English

Alternative forms

Noun

letter of marque (plural letters of marque)

  1. (nautical, historical) An official commission from a government authorizing someone to seize the property or people of another nation; especially to attack merchant shipping of another nation.
    • 1976, Stan Rogers (lyrics and music), “Barrett's Privateers”, in Fogarty's Cove:
      A letter of marque came from the King / to the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen / God damn them all! I was told / We'd cruise the seas for American gold / We'd fire no guns, shed no tears.
  2. (nautical, historical) A ship that has been armed for such a task.

Translations

See also

Further reading
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.