I. |prīvə|ti(ə)r, -tiə noun
( -s )
Etymology: private (I) + -eer
1. : an armed private ship bearing the commission of the sovereign power to cruise against the commerce or warships of an enemy
2. : the commander or one of the crew of a privateer
3. archaic : one fighting voluntarily as a soldier but not formally enlisted in an organized armed force : a free-lance soldier
II. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to cruise in or as a privateer