barratry
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Wikipedia.
bar·ra·try
(băr′ə-trē)n. pl. bar·ra·tries
1. The act or practice of bringing a groundless lawsuit or lawsuits.
2. An unlawful breach of duty on the part of a ship's master or crew resulting in injury to the ship's owner.
3. Sale or purchase of positions in church or state.
[Middle English barratrie, the sale of church offices, from Old French baraterie, deception, malversation, from barater, to cheat; see barrator.]
bar′ra·trous (-trəs) adj.
bar′ra·trous·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
barratry
(ˈbærətrɪ) orbarretry
n
1. (Law) criminal law (formerly) the vexatious stirring up of quarrels or bringing of lawsuits
2. (Law) maritime law a fraudulent practice committed by the master or crew of a ship to the prejudice of the owner or charterer
3. (Law) Scots law the crime committed by a judge in accepting a bribe
4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the purchase or sale of public or Church offices
[C15: from Old French baraterie deception, from barater to barter]
ˈbarratrous, ˈbarretrous adj
ˈbarratrously, ˈbarretrously adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
bar•ra•try
(ˈbær ə tri)n.
1. fraud by a master or crew at the expense of the owners of the ship or its cargo.
2. the offense of frequently stirring up litigation.
3. the purchase or sale of ecclesiastic preferments.
[1400–50; late Middle English barratrie < Anglo-French, Middle French baraterie combat, fighting]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
barratry
Law. an act of fraud by a master or crew at the expense of the owners of a ship or the owners of its cargo. Also spelled barretry. — barratrous, adj.
See also: Shipsthe offense of frequently exciting or stirring up suits and quarrels between others. — barrator, n. — barratrous, adj.
See also: Law-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  barratry - traffic in ecclesiastical offices or prefermentstraffic - buying and selling; especially illicit trade |
| 2. |  barratry - the crime of a judge whose judgment is influenced by bribery | |
| 3. | barratry - (maritime law) a fraudulent breach of duty by the master of a ship that injures the owner of the ship or its cargo; includes every breach of trust such as stealing or sinking or deserting the ship or embezzling the cargo fraud - intentional deception resulting in injury to another person admiralty law, marine law, maritime law - the branch of international law that deals with territorial and international waters or with shipping or with ocean fishery etc. | |
| 4. |  barratry - the offense of vexatiously persisting in inciting lawsuits and quarrelscrime, criminal offence, criminal offense, law-breaking, offense, offence - (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act; "a long record of crimes" law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.