Meanings
plural corsairs
- A French privateer, especially from the port of Saint-Malo.
- A privateer or pirate in general.
1 more example
"If I had been born a corsair or a pirate, a brigand, genteel highwayman or patriot―and they're the same thing," thought Mr. Tappertit, musing among the nine-pins, "I should have been all right. But to drag out a ^([sic]) ignoble existence unbeknown to mankind in general―patience! I will be famous yet."
1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 34.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLCSynonyms: buccaneer, freebooter, picaroon, pirate, raider, reaver, sea rat, sea-robber
- The ship of such privateers or pirates, especially of French nationality.
- A nocturnal assassin bug of the genus Rasahus, found in the southern USA.
- A Californian market fish (Sebastes rosaceus).
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA privateer or pirate in general.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincursus
- Medieval Latincursārius
- Italiancorsaro
- Frenchcorsaire
- Englishcorsair
Borrowed from French corsaire, from Medieval Latin cursārius (“pirate”), from Latin cursus (“course, a running; plunder, hostile inroad”). Doublet of courser and hussar.
More words from French, Medieval Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian пират, корсар
- пират (pirat)privateersman or pirate
- корсар (korsar)privateersman or pirate
Catalan corsari, corsària
- corsariprivateersman or pirate
- corsàriaprivateersman or pirate
Czech korzár
- korzárprivateersman or pirate
Estonian piraat, mereröövel
- piraatprivateersman or pirate
- mereröövelprivateersman or pirate
- kaaperprivateersman or pirate
- korsaarprivateersman or pirate
French pirate, corsaire
- pirateprivateersman or pirate
- corsaireprivateersman or pirate
- corsairepirate ship or privateer
German Korsar
- Korsarprivateersman or pirate
Hungarian privatér, korzár
- privatérprivateersman or pirate
- korzárpirate ship or privateer
Italian corsaro, pirata
- corsaroprivateersman or pirate
- pirataprivateersman or pirate
- filibustiereprivateersman or pirate
- bucaniereprivateersman or pirate
Japanese コルセア, 海賊（船）（かいぞく（せん）
- コルセア (korusea)privateersman or pirate
- 海賊（船）（かいぞく（せん）pirate ship or privateer
- kaizoku） (sen)pirate ship or privateer
Polish korsarz
- korsarzprivateersman or pirate
Portuguese corsário, corsário
- corsárioprivateersman or pirate
- corsáriopirate ship or privateer
Russian корса́р, пира́т
- корса́р (korsár)privateersman or pirate
- пира́т (pirát)privateersman or pirate
- капер (kaper)pirate ship or privateer
Spanish corsario, buque corsario
- corsarioprivateersman or pirate
- buque corsariopirate ship or privateer
Swedish korsar
- korsarprivateersman or pirate
Cite this entry
corsair. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/corsair
“corsair.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/corsair. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “corsair,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/corsair.
Source: corsair on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.