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Admiralty The important people that ran the British Navy were called the Admiralty.
boatswain An officer on board ship. His job was to tell the men what to do.
booty Goods that have been stolen. Valuable things won as a result of war or battle.
bounty Reward or payment for the capture of a criminal such as a pirate.
buccaneer Another name for a pirate.
butt The rounded end of a gun, where it is usually held. Sometimes it was used as a club.
careen - To scrape all the weed and barnacles off the bottom of the ship. If you didn't do this regularly, the ship would not be able to sail fast.
cargo The goods carried by a ship from one port to another. Pirates looked out for ships carrying valuable cargo, that were worth robbing.
corsair Another name for a pirate - one who operated in the Mediterranean, and was given permission to rob ships from Christian countries.
cutlass A short, heavy, single edged sword, once used mainly by sailors.
dirk Another name for a dagger or short knife. It was often worn hanging from a scabbard.
galleon A large square masted vessel of the 1500's used for war, or commerce.
gallows A temporary wooden frame which held the noose that hanged people
gibbet A pole where dead bodies were left to hang as a warning to others
gunner An officer who was in charge of the guns and cannon on board ship
gunpowder An explosive powder that had to be poured down the barrel of any gun, then a bullet rammed in after it. When the gun was fired, the gunpowder exploded, and made the bullet come out of the barrel of the gun.
hanged The punishment for being found to be a pirate was to be hanged by the neck till dead, while lots of people came to watch you die.
hard tack These were very hard biscuits made of flour and water, rather like a Tux dog biscuit. They were the main food for long trips, because they did not spoil easily. They did get weevils though!
hold The part down below decks in a ship, where cargo was stored.
hull The sides and bottom of a ship.
jolly roger Typically a black flag bearing drawn white bones; flown by a pirate ship
letter of marque A letter from a government giving a pirate legal permission to rob ships from some countries.
loot Gold, money, or other goods that have been stolen
mariner A sailor whose job it is to help in navigating a vessel.
maroon To leave someone all alone on a deserted island. Sailors would leave mutinous shipmates on deserted islands, without any food.
merchant ship A ship that is involved in trade/commerce. A ship carrying cargo.
musket A gun with a long barrel, longer than a pistol.
mutiny To refuse to do what you are told, particularly by captain of a ship.
notorious Famous in a really bad way, famous for being bad
pieces of eight Gold coins that were worth a lot of money.
pirate A thief of the seas, or oceans. One who goes sailing intending to rob or plunder other ships of their gold or treasure.
plunder The act of robbing.
port A harbour where ships could anchor, and where there were people living, and shops.
prey A victim. A pirate ship would roam around looking for prey, or a likely ship to rob.
privateer An armed vessel sailing with permission against the enemy. It can also mean a pirate who is stealing with the permission of his government.
quartermaster An officer on board ship, who was in charge of all the stores and supplies.
sailing master An officer on board ship, who was in charge of all the sails.
scabbard The sheath or container that a dagger or sword was slid into, to keep it from cutting you accidentally.
scurvy A disease caused by not eating fresh fruit and vegetables. It made people's gums bleed, and their teeth fall out, then they died.
tavern Another name for a pub or inn, where people went to drink.
vessel A general name for a boat.