Definitions for letter of marque
let·ter of mar·que

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. letter of marque, letters of marque, letter of mark and reprisalnoun

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

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. letter of marquenoun

   an official commission from a government authorizing someone to seize the property or people of another nation; especially to attack merchant shipping of another nation

2. letter of marquenoun

   a ship that has been armed for such a task

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Letter of marque

   A letter of marque and reprisal (French: lettre de marque; lettre de course) was a government license in the Age of Sail that authorized a private person, known as a privateer or corsair, to attack and capture vessels of a nation at war with the issuer. After capturing, the privateers could bring the case of that prize before their own admiralty court for condemnation and transfer of ownership to the privateer. A letter of marque and reprisal would include permission to cross an international border to conduct a reprisal (take some action against an attack or injury) and was authorized by an issuing jurisdiction to conduct reprisal operations outside its borders. Popular among Europeans from the late Middle Ages up to the 19th century, cruising for enemy prizes with a letter of marque was considered an honorable calling that combined patriotism and profit. Such privateering contrasted with individuals conducting unlicensed attacks and captures of random ships, which was known as piracy; piracy was almost universally reviled. In practice, the differences between privateers and pirates were often at best subtle and at worst a matter of interpretation.In addition to referring to the license, the terms "letter of marque" and "privateer" were sometimes used to describe the vessels used to pursue and capture prizes. In this context, a letter of marque was a lumbering, square-rigged cargo carrier that might pick up a prize if the opportunity arose in its normal course of duties. In contrast, the term privateer generally referred to a fast and weatherly fore-and-aft rigged vessel, well armed and carrying more crew, intended exclusively for fighting.Letters of marque allowed governments to fight their wars using private captains and sailors, akin to mercenary soldiers, to hunt down enemies and fight their wars instead of using their navies. Oftentimes it was cheaper and easier for governments to issue letters of marque to privateers than to maintain a longstanding navy. Instead of building, funding, and maintaining a navy in times of peace and in times of war, governments would issue letters of marque to privateers so they could fight the nation's battles. This way, the government issuing the letter of marque were not responsible to fix or maintain any of the privateers' ships since they were owned by the privateers.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. letter of marque

   A letter of marque is an official document issued by a government, granting permission to a private individual, known as a privateer, to seize or destroy property, typically ships, belonging to or used by enemies during wartime. This practice was most common during the 16th to 19th centuries.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Letter of marque

   In the days of fighting sail, a letter of marque and reprisal was a government license authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale. Cruising for prizes with a letter of marque was considered an honorable calling combining patriotism and profit, in contrast to unlicensed piracy, which was universally reviled. In addition to the term lettre de marque, the French sometimes used the term lettre de course for their letters of marque, giving rise to the term corsair as a synonym for privateer. "Letter of marque" was sometimes used to describe the vessel used: a "letter of marque" generally refers to a lumbering square-rigged cargo carrier that might pick up a prize if the opportunity arose. A "privateer" was a fast and weatherly fore-and-aft-rigged vessel heavily armed and heavily crewed, intended exclusively for fighting. A "letter of marque and reprisal" would involve permission to cross an international border to effect a reprisal authorized by an issuing jurisdiction to conduct reprisal operations outside its borders.

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Letter of Marque

   a commission to the captain of a merchant ship or a privateer to make reprisals on an enemy's ships or property.

Matched Categories

1. • License

How to pronounce letter of marque?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say letter of marque in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of letter of marque in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of letter of marque in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=letter of marque
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Letter_of_Marque
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_Marque
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=letter of marque
6. ^ The Nuttall Encyclopedia
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12342/pg12342-images.html#LetterofMarque