# piracy

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpaɪɹəsi/ · frequency rank #14,613

## Definitions
1. Robbery at sea, a violation of international law; taking a ship away from the control of those who are legally entitled to it.
2. A similar violation of international law, such as hijacking of an aircraft.
3. The unauthorized duplication of goods protected by intellectual property law.
4. The operation of an unlicensed radio or television station.
5. Kleptoparasitism.

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin pīrātia, from Classical Latin pīrāta + ia, or Ancient Greek πειρατεία (peirateía).

## Easily confused with
- **pray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/piracy-vs-pray)
- **pirate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/piracy-vs-pirate)
- **privacy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/piracy-vs-privacy)
- **primacy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/piracy-vs-primacy)
- **Percy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/percy-vs-piracy)
- **papacy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/papacy-vs-piracy)

## Common misspellings (9)
`ipracy`, `piarcy`, `piraccy`, `piracyy`, `pirayc`, `pircay`, `pirracy`, `ppiracy`, `priacy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/piracy