| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| letters of marque |
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| PLURAL NOUN: | 1. A document issued by a nation allowing a private citizen to seize citizens or goods of another nation. 2. A document issued by a nation allowing a private citizen to equip a ship with arms in order to attack enemy ships. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English letters of mark, from Old French marque, mark, seizure, reprisal. See marquetry.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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