corsair

/kɔːˈseə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · [kˈɔrsɛr] /kɔːrˈser/ (ame, ipa) · [kˈɔrsɛr] /ˈkȯr-ˌser How to pronounce corsair (audio) kȯr-ˈser How to pronounce corsair (audio)/ (ame, mw)

corsair — 名詞

1. a sea raider, especially in older Mediterranean history, who had official permis

1.名詞C2
釋義

私掠海盜

奉官方許可劫掠敵船的海盜

a sea raider, especially in older Mediterranean history, who had official permission to seize enemy ships and their cargo.

例句

In 1627, Ottoman corsairs captured Gabriel's trading ship near Crete.

1627 年，鄂圖曼私掠海盜在克里特島附近擄走 Gabriel 的商船。

historical setting: Ottoman corsairs near Crete

Heather feared the corsairs would raid the small port before dawn.

Heather 害怕那些私掠海盜會在天亮前襲擊那座小港口。

common action: raid a port

同義詞
  • pirate

    broader everyday word for a robber at sea

  • privateer

    stresses official permission during wartime

  • raider

    broader term for an attacker and robber

文法句型

a corsair + verb

a band of corsairs

用法筆記

Usually appears in historical writing about the Mediterranean and often points to North African or Ottoman sea raiders rather than modern pirates in general.

常見錯誤

❌A corsair stole my phone on the train.
✅A thief stole my phone on the train.
💡a corsair is a historical sea raider, not an ordinary land thief.

2. a fast ship used by privateers or pirates to chase, board, and rob other ships.

2.名詞C2
釋義

私掠船

供私掠或海盜襲擊用的快船

a fast ship used by privateers or pirates to chase, board, and rob other ships.

例句

The corsair closed on the merchant ship before Minho could turn east.

那艘私掠船在 Minho 能轉向東邊前逼近商船。

subject is the ship itself

French guns on the corsair fired first as the convoy entered the bay.

當船隊進入海灣時，那艘私掠船上的法國火炮先開火。

ship detail: guns on the corsair

同義詞
  • privateer

    older histories also use this for the licensed attacking ship

  • raider

    broader military term for an attacking vessel

  • warship

    general armed ship, not necessarily used for privateering

文法句型

the corsair + verb

aboard a corsair

用法筆記

Use this sense when the word names the vessel itself. Nearby words often mention guns, sails, speed, or the hull, which separate it from the person sense.

常見錯誤

❌The corsair shouted orders from the deck.
✅The corsair captain shouted orders from the deck.
💡this sense names the ship, not the person on it.