pirate

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
2. Proto-Indo-European*périh₂
3. Proto-Hellenic*péřřa
4. Ancient Greekπεῖρᾰ (peîră)
5. Ancient Greekπειράω (peiráō)
6. Ancient Greekπειρᾱτής (peirātḗs)
7. Latinpīrāta
8. Old Frenchpirate
9. Middle Englishpirate
10. English todaypirate

From Middle English pirate, pirat, pyrat, from Old French pirate, from Latin pīrāta (“pirate”), from Ancient Greek πειρατής (peiratḗs), from πεῖρα (peîra, “trial, attempt, plot”). Displaced native Old English wīċing, which was the word for both "pirate" and "viking".

Words from the same roots