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| let·ters of marque |
plural noun |
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| Definition: |
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1. license to seize foreign property: a formal document issued by one country authorizing one of its private citizens to take possession of goods, or sometimes citizens, belonging to another country
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2. license to arm ship: an official document issued by one country authorizing one of its citizens to fit a ship with weapons in order to attack or seize another country's ships and cargo
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| [Marque "reprisals" via French< Provençal marca< marcar "seize as a pledge"] |
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