Meanings
plural predations
- countableuncountablebiologyThe preying of one animal on others.
- countableobsoleteuncountableThe action of attacking or plundering.
1 more example
[…]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.
a. 1547, Edward Hall, “The XVII Yere”, in King Henry the VIII, volume II, London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, published 1904, page 48
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan act of plundering and pillaging and marauding
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinpraedātiō, praedātiōnis
- Englishpredation
Borrowed from Latin praedātiō, praedātiōnis, from praedor (“pillage, plunder”), from praeda (“plunder, spoils”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian хищничество
- хищничество (hištničestvo)the preying of one animal on others
Chinese Mandarin 捕食
- 捕食 (bǔshí)the preying of one animal on others
Dutch predatie
- predatiethe preying of one animal on others
Finnish saalistus
- saalistusthe preying of one animal on others
French prédation
- prédationthe preying of one animal on others
German Raub, Jagd
- Raubthe preying of one animal on others
- Jagdthe preying of one animal on others
- Prädationthe preying of one animal on others
- Plünderungthe action of attacking or plundering
Indonesian pemangsaan
- pemangsaanthe preying of one animal on others
Japanese 捕食
- 捕食 (hoshoku)the preying of one animal on others
Korean 포식
- 포식 (posik)the preying of one animal on others
Malay pemangsaan
- pemangsaanthe preying of one animal on others
Polish drapieżnictwo
- drapieżnictwothe preying of one animal on others
Portuguese predação, predatismo
- predaçãothe preying of one animal on others
- predatismothe preying of one animal on others
Russian хи́щничество, охо́та
- хи́щничество (xíščničestvo)the preying of one animal on others
- охо́та (oxóta)the preying of one animal on others
Spanish predación, predación
- predaciónthe preying of one animal on others
- predaciónthe action of attacking or plundering
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with predation
Cite this entry
predation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/predation
“predation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/predation. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “predation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/predation.
Source: predation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.