n.
Pronunciation: ' p ī -r ə -s ē
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -cies
Etymology: Medieval Latin piratia, from Late Greek peirateia, from Greek peirat ē s pirate
Date: 1537
1 : an act of robbery on the high seas also : an act resembling such robbery
2 : robbery on the high seas
3 a : the unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright b : the illicit accessing of broadcast signals