barratry

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
barratry /ˈbarətri/

▶noun

• 1 archaic fraud or gross negligence on the part of a ship's master or crew at the expense of its owners or users.

• 2 Law vexatious litigation or incitement to it.

• 3 historical trade in the sale of Church or state appointments.

– derivatives
barrator noun,
barratrous adjective.

– origin ME: from OFr. baraterie, from barater ‘deceive’, based on Gk prattein ‘do, perform, manage’.