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FREEBOOT (v. -ED, -ING, -S)
Definition(s):
- (v.) to plunder; to buccaneer
Useful information for game players:
- Front hooks: (none)
- Back hooks: -S
- Anagrams: (none)
- Longer extensions: -ED, -ER, -ERS, -ING
- Wraparounds: (none)
- Other Spellings: (none)
- Related Forms: FREEBOOTER (n.)
Epilogue:
Yesterday’s entry celebrated Talk Like a Pirate Day, complete with fanciful “pirate” jargon and affected speech patterns. In the interest of accuracy, we should hasten to add that there is no evidence that pirates ever talked like that — and that real piracy is no laughing matter, boys and girls! The speech patterns used by pirates (and other seafarers) of most eras probably was characterized by ample amounts of slang, regional dialects, and coarse language, and some of the terms associated with piracy (Jolly Roger, Davy Jones’ locker, etc.) do have real historical roots, as do all the words we are profiling this week. But the popular rendering of pirate speech — replete with frequent exclamations of arr! avast! ahoy! yo ho! and so forth — seems to have been invented by modern books, films, and other works of fiction.
All that said, today’s word comes from the Dutch vrijbuiter (“pirate, robber”). The OED adds that this verb was originally used in Dutch phrases such as op vrijbuit varen “to go capturing ships or plundering.” English words such as BOOTY (“plunder, spoil”) appear even earlier and were influenced by similar Germanic forms.
This week’s theme: Words related to (the popular conception) of pirates and piracy
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