parley – to discuss something in an attempt to come to an agreement.
picaroon – a pirate.
piece of eight – a common name for the 1-oz silver Spanish dollar that, from the 1500s and into the 1800s, was a coin worth eight Spanish Reales. Also the origin of the current coin named peso (from “Peso de a Ocho”)
pillage – to seize valuables by force.
pink – a small ship, characterized by a flat bottom that allowed the ship to operate in shallow water.
pinnace – one of two types of ships or boats, either a small craft used to service other ships, or a larger square-rigged ship rather like a small galleon.
piracy – an act of thievery that takes place on a body of water.
pirate – one who engages in piracy, naturally.
pirate code – some pirates of the late 1600s ran their ships according to a formalized, written set of rules to which every member of the crew was bound. The rules regulated everything from the division of treasure to shipboard behavior. Bartholomew Roberts and John Phillips composed two famous pirate codes.
pirate round – a navigational course favored by some pirates. Setting sail from the Atlantic or Caribbean, these pirates would sail southeast to Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope and on to Madagascar. From Madagascar they would either return to the Atlantic or work their way up the west coast of Africa.
plate fleet – treasure ships (primarily Spanish) returning precious metals from the New World back to Spain. Ships carrying such cargo were an obvious target for pirates.
plunder – as a verb, the act of seizing valuables. As a none, the treasure gained by such activity.
poop deck – a deck built over the cabins at the stern of the ship.
port – the left side of a ship, relative to the bow. Also, a location on the water equipped to service ships.
powder monkey – the person, often a boy, responsible for bringing gunpowder to the gunner.
press gang – a group of sailors that would make their way around a port seeking to kidnap men and force them to be part of a crew.
privateer – a private vessel operating on the authority of a government through letters of marquee. Privateers sought to gain prize money by capturing enemy vessels. However, it was a short step from legal privateering to outright piracy.
prize – a captured ship. Historically, the crew of a navy ship was entitled to a share of the monetary value of any enemy vessel they captured.
prow – the forwardmost part of a ships bow.
pyrate – an alternate spelling of “pirate.”
