barratry (n.)

  1. traffic in ecclesiastical offices or preferments

    [ Syn: simony ]

  2. the crime of a judge whose judgment is influenced by bribery

  3. (maritime law) a fraudulent breach of duty by the master of a ship that injures the owner of the ship or its cargo; includes every breach of trust such as stealing or sinking or deserting the ship or embezzling the cargo

  4. the offense of vexatiously persisting in inciting lawsuits and quarrels

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
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