Fraudulent or criminal conduct by a ship's captain or crew, such as deliberately wrecking a ship or engaging in piracy for profit; also, the crime of inciting others to quarrel or sue.
From Old French barat meaning 'fraud' or 'deception', possibly from Scandinavian or Germanic roots meaning 'quarrel' or 'trouble'. Medieval maritime law formalized it as a specific crime.
Barratry is why marine insurance exists—medieval ship owners discovered their captains kept 'accidentally' sinking ships right after taking out insurance, so underwriters invented modern risk assessment!
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