piracy
noun /ˈpaɪrəsi/
/ˈpaɪrəsi/
[uncountable]- the crime of attacking ships at sea in order to steal from themTopics Crime and punishmentc1, Transport by waterc1
- the act of making illegal copies of DVDs, computer programs, books, etc., in order to sell them
- software piracy
see also pirate
Word Originmid 16th cent.: via medieval Latin from Greek pirateia, from peiratēs, from peirein ‘to attempt, attack’ (from peira ‘an attempt’).