Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to a pirate or piracy; of the nature of piracy: as, piratical acts.
  • Engaged in piracy, or robbery on the high seas: as, a piratical ship or commander.
  • Pertaining to or practising literary piracy: as, piratical publishers.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to a pirate; acquired by, or practicing, piracy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective of, pertaining to, or similar to pirates

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective characteristic of pirates
  • adjective characteristic of piracy

Etymologies

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Examples

Comments

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  • apologies for the length here, but no justice will allow the chopping up of such a passage:

    "So have I seen a bird with clipped wing making affrighted broken circles in the air, vainly striving to escape the piratical hawks. But the bird has a voice, and with plaintive cries will make known her fear; but the fear of this vast dumb brute of the sea, was chained up and enchanted in him; he had no voice, save that choking respiration through his spiracle, and this made the sight of him unspeakably pitiable; while still, in his amazing bulk, portcullis jaw, and omnipotent tail, there was enough to appal the stoutest man who so pitied."

    Moby-Dick, ch. 81

    June 15, 2009