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Former buccaneer loses right to do penance (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

expiate

'do penance' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'former buccaneer loses right' is the wordplay.
'former' becomes 'ex'.
'buccaneer' becomes 'pirate' ('pirate' can be a synonym of 'buccaneer').
'loses' suggests deleting specific letters.
'right' becomes 'r' (common abbreviation).
'pirate' with 'r' taken away is 'piate'.
'ex'+'piate'='EXPIATE'

'to' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for expiate that I've seen before include "make atonement" , "Pay for" , "Make amends for wrongdoing" , "Atone for (a sin)" , "Of sin, make amends for" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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