The term pirate originated in the 1300s to describe individuals who plundered ships, and by the late fifteenth century, it was also used metaphorically to refer to individuals on land. It transitioned into a verb in the 1570s, was first associated with plagiarism in 1603, and the earliest reference to pirate radios dates back to 1913. Derived from Latin pirata through Old French, the word evolved from Ancient Greek peirates, meaning “one who attacks”. The root of this word is the verb peiran, which originally meant “to attempt” (as attacks are attempts to cause harm). This can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root per, signifying “cross”. A well-known derivative of peira is the English term empirical, which entered the language with the concept of experimentation being carried out through repeated attempts.
