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Definition of piracy - 6 dictionary results

pi⋅ra⋅cy

  [pahy-ruh-see]
Use piracy in a Sentence
–noun, plural -cies.
1. practice of a pirate; robbery or illegal violence at sea.
2. the unauthorized reproduction or use of a copyrighted book, recording, television program, patented invention, trademarked product, etc.: The record industry is beset with piracy.
3. Also called stream capture. Geology. diversion of the upper part of one stream by the headward growth of another.
Origin:
1545–55; earlier pyracie < ML pīrātīa < LGk peirāteía. See pirate, -acy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pi·ra·cy   (pī'rə-sē)   
n.   pl. pi·ra·cies
    1. Robbery committed at sea.
    2. A similar act of robbery, as the hijacking of an airplane.
  2. The unauthorized use or reproduction of copyrighted or patented material: software piracy.
  3. The operation of an unlicensed, illegal radio or television station.

[Medieval Latin pīrātia, from Late Greek peirāteia, from Greek peirātēs, pirate; see pirate.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Piracy

Pi"ra*cy\, n.; pl. Piracies. [Cf. LL. piratia, Gr. ?. See Pirate.]

1. The act or crime of a pirate.

2. (Common Law) Robbery on the high seas; the taking of property from others on the open sea by open violence; without lawful authority, and with intent to steal; -- a crime answering to robbery on land.

Note: By statute law several other offenses committed on the seas (as trading with known pirates, or engaging in the slave trade) have been made piracy.

3. "Sometimes used, in a quasi-figurative sense, of violation of copyright; but for this, infringement is the correct and preferable term." --Abbott.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : piracy
Spanish: piratería,
German: die Piraterie, der Raubdruck,
Japanese: 海賊行為
More Translations »

piracy 
1419, from M.L. piratia (see pirate).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: pi·ra·cy
Pronunciation: 'pI-r&-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -cies
1 : an act of robbery esp. on the high seas; specifically : an illegal act of violence, detention, or plunder committed for private ends by crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft against another ship or aircraft on the high seas or in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state —see also AIRCRAFT PIRACY Article I of the CONSTITUTION in the back matter
2 a : the unauthorized copying, distribution, or use of another's production (as a film) esp. in infringement of a copyright piracy> b : the unauthorized use, interception, or receipt of encoded communications (as satellite cable programming) esp. to avoid paying fees for use piracy of programming signals —United States v. Harrell, 983 Federal Reporter, Second Series 36 (1993)>
3 : the crime of committing piracy
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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piracy
software piracy

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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