predation

[pri-dey-shuh n] /prɪˈdeɪ ʃən/

noun

depredation; plundering.

act of plundering or robbing.

predatory behavior.

a relation between animals in which one organism captures and feeds on others.

Origin

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-

Examples from the web for predation

In other words, predation is an unalterable fact of life.
Establishing that a firm is guilty of predation is difficult.
The difference in the seals' survival rates could be a result of an increase in shark predation within the reserve.
Contrary to conventional wisdom predation does influence primate evolution.
When those thoughts are absent, societies are organized around mutual predation.
And predation management strategies are still being developed.
It could have been more of that predation or shared hangout that let the two louse lineages reunite.
On continents, prey species have survived predation for centuries.
If it emerges to forage, it faces some risk of predation.
Its main threats are habitat loss and predation by introduced sunfish and other species.

British Dictionary definitions for predation

predation

/prɪˈdeɪʃən/

noun

a relationship between two species of animal in a community, in which one (the predator) hunts, kills, and eats the other (the prey)

Word Origin and History for predation

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.