Term
Filibuster
Etymology
From Spanish filibustero, ultimately from Dutch vrijbuiter (freebooter), with French flibustier as the intermediate form.
Definition
In its seventeenth-century usage, a French-speaking buccaneer of the Caribbean — especially one operating from Tortuga or the western Hispaniola coast. The term was largely interchangeable with buccaneer in the broader sense, with filibuster tending to be applied to French speakers and buccaneer to English. The word later acquired its modern American political sense (a delaying tactic in legislative debate) by analogy with maritime irregulars who blocked the legitimate passage of commerce.
