Dictionary

barratry en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈbæɹətɹi/

Etymology

Early 15th century, in sense “sale of offices”, from Old French baraterie (“deceit, trickery”), from barat (“fraud, deceit, trickery”), of unknown origin, perhaps Celtic. In marine sense of “unlawful acts causing loss to owner”, 1620s.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The act of persistently instigating lawsuits, often groundless ones.
   • [Deacon Mushrat to Pogo:] The Machiavellian barratry of a pettifogging public has maundered into do-nothingism. 1959 April 24, Walt Kelly, Pogo, comic strip, →ISBN, page 35:
2. (countable, uncountable) The sale or purchase of religious or political positions of power.
3. (countable, uncountable) Unlawful or fraudulent acts by the crew of a vessel, harming the vessel's owner.

Forms

Coordinates

simony

Relateds

barratrous · champerty · barratrously · barrator

Translations (3)

pl pieniactwo (persistant instigation of typically groundless lawsuits) · pl barateria (unlawful or fraudulent acts by the crew of a vessel, harming the vessel's owner) · el ναυταπάτη (unlawful or fraudulent acts by the crew of a vessel, harming the vessel's owner)