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Stage 1 of 3
vrijbuiter
Dutch · 1500s
"one who freely takes plunder"
literally free booty-taker, the same root behind freebooter
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Stage 2 of 3
filibustero
Spanish · 1800s
"a pirate, an unauthorized adventurer"
adopted into Spanish for lawless adventurers and pirates in the Americas
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Stage 3 of 3
filibuster
English · 1850s
"the use of extreme obstructive tactics in a legislature"
shifted to mean obstructing legislative action through prolonged speech
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