BARRATRY


Meaning of BARRATRY in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈber-ə-trē, ˈba-rə- ]

noun

( plural -tries )

Etymology: Middle English (Scots) barratrie, from Anglo-French * baraterie, literally, deception, from Old French barater to be active, do business, cause strife, deceive, perhaps from Vulgar Latin * prattare, from Greek prattein, prassein to do — more at practical

Date: 15th century

1. : the purchase or sale of office or preferment in church or state

2. : an unlawful act or fraudulent breach of duty by a master of a ship or by the mariners to the injury of the owner of the ship or cargo

3. : the persistent incitement of litigation

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.