Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A person who pillages and plunders, especially a pirate.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who wanders about in search of plunder; a robber; a pillager; a plunderer.
  • noun Synonyms Marauder, etc. See robber.

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

  • noun One who plunders or pillages without the authority of national warfare; a member of a predatory band; a pillager; a buccaneer; a sea robber.

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

  • noun An adventurer who pillages, plunders or wages ad-hoc war on other nations.

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

  • noun someone who takes spoils or plunder (as in war)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Dutch vrijbuiter, from vrijbuit, plunder : vrij, free; see prī- in Indo-European roots + buit, booty (from Middle Dutch būte, of Middle Low German origin).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Calque of Dutch vrijbuiter (literally "free booty-er"), from vrij ("free") + buit ("booty") + -er ("agent"), whence also filibuster.

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