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letter of marque
noun
- license or commission granted by a state to a private citizen to capture and confiscate the merchant ships of another nation.
letter of marque
noun
- a licence granted by a state to a private citizen to arm a ship and seize merchant vessels of another nation
- a similar licence issued by a nation allowing a private citizen to seize goods or citizens of another nation
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Word History and Origins
Origin of letter of marque1
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
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Example Sentences
I believed my land-service commission would protect me, but I asked for the letter-of-marque as an additional safeguard.
From Project Gutenberg
The scheme was not impossible for any one holding a privateer's commission, and I applied to Mr. Yancey for a letter-of-marque.
From Project Gutenberg
In that day, even a French ship-of-the-line was no model of discipline or order, and a letter-of-marque was consequently worse.
From Project Gutenberg
The prize proved to be the ship I have mentioned, a letter-of-marque, from Guadaloupe, bound to Nantes.
From Project Gutenberg
Well, as if that wern't enough, we ship together again in this vessel, and a time we had of it with the French letter-of-marque.
From Project Gutenberg
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