The crime of attacking ships at sea and stealing from them, or illegally copying and distributing creative works like music or software.
From Greek 'peirates' (one who attempts or attacks), which evolved through Latin into Old French 'pirate.' The modern sense of copyright infringement emerged in the 1980s-90s as digital technology made copying easy and common.
The word 'piracy' is fascinating because it's been recycled: it meant ocean robbery for centuries, then when the internet made copying songs trivial, we simply dusted off the old word rather than inventing a new one, showing how language evolves by reusing old containers for new ideas.
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