n., pl., -tries.
- The offense of persistently instigating lawsuits, typically groundless ones.
- An unlawful breach of duty on the part of a ship's master or crew resulting in injury to the ship's owner.
- 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.]
barratrous bar'ra·trous (-trəs) adj.barratrously bar'ra·trous·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
