Definition

Noun: 1. An official license granted by a government to a private person (a privateer) to seize and capture the vessels or property of a nation at war with the issuing government: This term refers to a historical legal document authorizing private warfare at sea.

Usage

• The term is used in historical, legal, and maritime contexts to describe a specific type of state-sanctioned privateering.
• It is almost always used in its plural form, "letters of marque," even when referring to a single document or license.
• It functions as a compound noun.

Examples

• The ship's captain was operating under valid letters of marque issued by the crown.
• During the war, the government issued letters of marque to arm merchant vessels against the enemy fleet.
• Possessing letters of marque distinguished a legal privateer from an outlaw pirate.

Advanced Usage

• "Letters of marque and reprisal": This is the full, formal legal phrase often found in historical documents and constitutions, combining the license to seize property (marque) with the authorization for retaliation (reprisal).

Variants and Related Words

• Privateer (noun): A private person or ship authorized by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping.
• Commission (noun): In this context, a synonym for the authorization granted by letters of marque.
• Piracy (noun): The illegal act of attacking and robbing ships at sea, which is distinct from the state-authorized activity under letters of marque.

Synonyms

• Privateering license
• Letter of marque (singular, less common)
• Commission (in a maritime context)

Related Phrases

• To sail under letters of marque: A phrase meaning to operate as a sanctioned privateer.
  • Several fast schooners were fitted out to sail under letters of marque.

Noun

1. a license to a private citizen to seize property of another nation