PREY

I. noun (plural ~; also ~s) see: get Date: 13th century spoil , booty , 2. an animal taken by a predator as food, one that is helpless or unable to resist attack ; victim , the act or habit of ~ing, II. intransitive verb (~ed; ~ing) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French preier, from Latin praedari, from praeda Date: 14th century to make raids for the sake of booty, 2. to seize and devour ~, to commit violence or robbery or fraud, to have an injurious, destructive, or wasting effect , ~er noun