bar·ra·try
(băr′ə-trē)n. pl. bar·ra·tries 1. The act or practice of bringing a groundless lawsuit or lawsuits.
2. An unlawful breach of duty on the part of a ship's master or crew resulting in injury to the ship's owner.
3. 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.]
bar′ra·trous (-trəs) adj.
bar′ra·trous·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.