Of Pirates, Privateer, Corsair and Buccaneer

Did you know that a pirate, a privateer, a corsair or a buccaneer are not quite all the same things. There are also other terms out there, and the definitions for each term does not seem to translate verbatim from one language to another. The information I have gathered are the English language interpretation.

A pirate is a rather generic term that suggest a person, ship or crew that plunders (so, more mayhem me hearties!).

A privateer is a pirate acting privately but commissioned by a government, under commission of war (you can plunder to your heart's content ... well excepted the ships from your own government that is ... Ask Mr Francis Drake and Queen Elisabeth 1st how that worked out!).

A corsair is the same as a privateer, but it is generally accepted as covering the activities in the Mediterranean Sea and with a religious connotation (Christian vs. Muslim).

A buccaneer is a term specific to the Caribbean. The term was first applied to French game hunters (and here we go … those French people again!) living in Western Hispaniola (think Haiti; Hispaniola was what is now both Haiti and Dominican Republic) in the early 17th century. They migrated to Tortuga (yup, just like Pirate of the Caribbean!) in 1630.

Sources: check Wikipedia (of course !); https://culturamarinara.com/en/what-is-the-difference-between-pirates-privateers-buccaneers-and-barbaresco/ ; https://www.thoughtco.com/pirates-privateers-buccaneers-and-corsairs-2136214