predation

Borrowed from Latin praedātiō, praedātiōnis, from praedor (“pillage, plunder”), from praeda (“plunder, spoils”).

predation (countable and uncountable, plural predations)

1. (zoology) The preying of one animal on others.
2. (obsolete) The action of attacking or plundering.
   • a. 1547, Edward Hall, “The XVII Yere”, in King Henry the VIII, volume II, London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, published 1904, page 48:

     […] this priest roade in his goune of velvet, with a greate trayne, and was received into every Religion with Procession, as though the legate had bene there, and toke such greate sommes for his visitacion, that the religious sore were greved, and murmured much against it, and in especiall, for they were charged with greate sommes of money to the kyng, and now thys sodayn visitacion or predacion, cleane shaved them.

• predator
• depredation
• prey

• pediatron, teraponid