ETYM French corsaire (cf. Italian corsare, corsale, Pr. corsari), Late Lat. corsarius, from Latin cursus a running, course, whence Spanish corso cruise, corsa cruise, coasting voyage, corsear to cruise against the enemy. Related to Course.
1. A pirate along the Barbary coast; SYN. Barbary pirate.
2. A swift pirate ship (often operating with official sanction).
Pirate based on the N African Barbary Coast. From the 16th century onward the corsairs plundered shipping in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, holding hostages for ransom or selling them as slaves. Although many punitive expeditions were sent against them, they were not suppressed until France occupied Algiers 1830.
Most pirates were Turkish or North African, but there were also many Europeans, such as the Englishman Sir Francis Verney, half brother of Edmund Verney.