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piracy

[pahy-ruh-see]

noun, plural -cies.

practice of a pirate; robbery or illegal violence at sea.

the unauthorized reproduction or use of a copyrighted book, recording, television program, patented invention, trademarked product, etc.: The record industry is beset with piracy.

Also called stream capture. Geology. diversion of the upper part of one stream by the headward growth of another.

Origin:
1545–55; earlier pyracie < Medieval Latin pīrātīa < Late Greek peirāteía. See pirate, -acy

Related forms

an·ti·pi·ra·cy, noun, plural -cies, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Piracy is always a great word to know.

So is percolation. Does it mean:

to dissolve out soluble constituents from ashes and soil by percolation

slow movement of water through the pores in soil or permeable rock

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Example Sentences

The only way to ameliorate this problem is to control piracy from land.

But the technology to prevent piracy may not even work and could cost universities hundreds of thousands of dollars, critics say.

It also explains why online music piracy may at last be in decline.

EXPAND

The only way to ameliorate this problem is to control piracy from land.

But the technology to prevent piracy may not even work and could cost universities hundreds of thousands of dollars, critics say.

It also explains why online music piracy may at last be in decline.

Translate what you've learned about counterfeiting and piracy into a fact sheet alerting other kids to the problem.

And this estimate does not even include the revenues made by illegal copying and other forms of piracy.

Piracy is a convenient excuse for generally sucky movie/music/game sales.

Piracy is a lucrative, innovative, global enterprise.

If e-textbooks catch on, however, publishers may see a rise in online piracy.

The internet and rampant film piracy mean censors' cuts do not go unnoticed.

Williams retired from piracy a year later, but quickly grew bored.

Let's make the people who propogate fear of piracy and invasion earn a real living by doing something usefull.

Given that a year's worth of textbooks can run a thousand bucks, it's not surprising that textbook piracy is up.

Some musicians try to halt online piracy by turning to lawyers.

Now, whether attacking these ships on the high seas is piracy or not is definitely an open question.

Fueled by high prices and weak law enforcement, piracy is ingrained in the culture.

The heavy metal artists are the first musicians to sue the software maker and universities for enabling music piracy.

Previously, there had been no widely accepted jurisdiction over piracy cases originating on the high seas.

In any event, some shipping people privately say that the effects of piracy have been exaggerated.

They will find out where piracy is practiced today and write reports.

It's an attempt to stop book pirates, of course-but those people are off happily downloading their books from free piracy sites.

Supporters of a proposal say it would give copyright holders the tools to tackle piracy at the supply and demand levels.

Piracy isn't driven by the media, it drives the media.

He believes his company's copy-protection software could turn piracy into an efficient method of distribution.

Record labels have been hit much harder by piracy and have seen retail outlets disappear.

They're not hijacking ships as often as they were when the resurgent piracy problem still took maritime commerce by surprise.

We've covered a lot of ground so far in our debate this week on copyright, piracy and digital filtering.

But television firms soon banded together to develop alternatives to piracy.

After all, the truism is that piracy is a problem that takes.

And there is always the threat that online piracy might take off.

Details of a controversial plan to make money from music piracy are beginning to emerge.

Piracy of films and music, in particular, is rampant.

The record industry continues its claims that the sky is falling due to piracy.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

piracy (ˈpaɪrəsɪ)

—n , pl -cies
1.	(Brit) robbery on the seas within admiralty jurisdiction
2.	a felony, such as robbery or hijacking, committed aboard a ship or aircraft
3.	the unauthorized use or appropriation of patented or copyrighted material, ideas, etc

[C16: from Anglo-Latin pirātia, from Late Greek peirāteia; see pirate]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

piracy

1419, from M.L. piratia (see pirate).

FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary

piracy definition

software piracy

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Related Words

pirate -acy air piracy corsair

corsair Kidd reif

Matching Quote

"As for piracy, I love to be pirated. It is the greatest compliment an author can have. The wholesale piracy of Democracy was the single real triumph of my life. Anyone may steal what he likes from me."

-Henry Brooks Adams

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