predation
[pri-dey-shuh n]
- depredation; plundering.
- act of plundering or robbing.
- predatory behavior.
- a relation between animals in which one organism captures and feeds on others.
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Origin of predation
1425–75; late Middle English < Latin praedātiōn- (stem of praedātiō) a taking of booty, plundering, equivalent to praedāt(us), past participle of praedārī to plunder, catch (see predator) + -iōn-
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for predation
Contemporary Examples
Starvation, disease, war, and predation were common threats for a majority of our evolutionary history.
WGA is classified as a lectin—a term for a protein produced by an organism to protect itself from predation.
This “double whammy” of predation and competition enables jellyfish to cripple a food chain by essentially nibbling at its ankles.
Historical Examples
Such small rodents constitute another potential source of predation.
Nesting failure resulted from severe weather, predation, parasitism by cowbirds, and human interference.
Freedom from the pressure of predation probably exerts a direct influence on formation of species.
The Avifauna of Micronesia, Volume 3Rollin H. Baker
Thus, before the advent of man the factor of predation may not have been of great consequence.
The Avifauna of Micronesia, Volume 3Rollin H. Baker
The absence of the pressure of predation should remove a certain amount of control on the population turn-over.
The Avifauna of Micronesia, Volume 3Rollin H. Baker
predation
- a relationship between two species of animal in a community, in which one (the predator) hunts, kills, and eats the other (the prey)
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for predation
n.
late 15c., "act of plundering or pillaging," from Latin praedationem (nominative praedatio) "a plundering, act of taking booty," from praedari "to rob, to plunder," from praeda "plunder, booty, prey" (see prey (n.)). Zoological sense recorded from 1907.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper