Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pirater” come from?

pirater (English) comes from English pirate, from English piratically, from English -ly, from English grisly, from Middle English grisely, from Old English grisliċ, from Old English -līċ, from Proto-Germanic *-līk.

pirater (English): One who pirates

Definitions

  1. One who pirates

Ancestry of “pirater”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpirateA criminal who plunders at sea; commonly...
2EnglishpiraticallyIn a piratical manner
3English-lyUsed to form adjectives from nouns, the...
4EnglishgrislyHorrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;...
5Middle Englishgrisely—
6Old Englishgrisliċgrisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid
7Old English-līċsuffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning...
8Proto-Germanic*-līk—
Every word from Proto-Germanic *-līk →