Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Marque
Marque
,Noun.
[F.
marque
, in lettre de marque
letter of marque, a commission with which the commandant of every armed vessel was obliged to be provided, under penalty of being considered a pirate or corsair; marque
here prob. meaning, border, boundary (the letter of marque being a permission to go beyond the border), and of German origin. See March
border.] (Law)
A license to pass the limits of a jurisdiction, or boundary of a country, for the purpose of making reprisals.
Letters of marque
, Letters of marque and reprisal
a license or extraordinary commission granted by a government to a private person to fit out a privateer or armed ship to cruise at sea and make prize of the enemy’s ships and merchandise. The ship so commissioned is sometimes called a letter of marque.