/ ˈpaɪrəsi; NAmE / noun [ U ]
1.
the crime of attacking ships at sea in order to steal from them
2.
the act of making illegal copies of video tapes, computer programs, books, etc., in order to sell them :
software piracy
—see also pirate
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: via medieval Latin from Greek pirateia , from peiratēs , from peirein to attempt, attack (from peira an attempt).