-rə.trē noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English barratrie, from Middle French baraterie deception, from barater + -erie -ery
1. : the purchase or sale of office or preferment in church or state : simony
2. : a fraudulent breach of duty or willful act of known illegality on the part of a master of a ship or of the mariners to the injury of the owner of the ship or cargo and without his consent (as running away with the ship, sinking or deserting her, or embezzling the cargo)
3. : the practice of exciting and encouraging or maintaining lawsuits or quarrels : the persistent incitement of litigation