Basic Details
Word: Pirate
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A person who attacks and robs ships at sea; also someone who copies films, music or books without permission.
Synonyms: buccaneer, sea robber
Word origin: From Latin pirata, from Greek peirates, an attacker.
How to Spell Pirate
Syllables: pi - rate
Tricky part: There is one r and one t, and the word ends with a silent e after the t.
Watch out for: pirat, pirrate, pierate
Memory tip: An angry pirate is irate: just put a p in front of irate and you have p-irate.
Usage Examples
Example 1: In the comic, a one-eyed pirate hides a chest of gold coins in a cave.
Example 2: Buying a pirate copy of a film is against the law.
Example 3: My little brother dressed up as a pirate for the fancy-dress parade.
Fun Fact
The black flag with a white skull and crossed bones flown by pirate ships is known as the Jolly Roger.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word pirate as it is used in the sentence:
The pirate captain buried the stolen silver on a lonely island.
a) buccaneer
b) admiral
c) fisherman
d) merchant
Show answer
a) buccaneer. Buccaneer is another name for a pirate who robs at sea.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The tiraep ship crept closer to the merchant boat in the fog.
a) parrot
b) pilot
c) private
d) pirate
Show answer
d) pirate. Six letters with an e and a single r give pirate; private would need a v.
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. pirate 2. compas 3. captian 4. ancher
a) a heavy object dropped to keep a ship in place
b) an instrument that shows north, south, east and west
c) the person in charge of a ship
d) a person who attacks and robs ships at sea
Show answer
d) a person who attacks and robs ships at sea. On a ship you would also meet a captain, an anchor and a compass, but none of them is spelt correctly in the list.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A pirate copy of a book is one that is ____.
a) printed in gold ink
b) copied without permission
c) kept in a library
d) signed by the author
Show answer
b) copied without permission
2. What does the noun piracy mean?
a) the study of ships and the sea
b) a festival held on a beach
c) robbery at sea or illegal copying
d) the care of injured parrots
Show answer
c) robbery at sea or illegal copying
