English
depredation
Depredation comes from Latin depraedatio ‘plundering, pillaging’, from praedor ‘to acquire loot, such as through robbery or war’, and ultimately from praeda.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeda‘plunder, booty, loot’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraedor‘to acquire loot, such as through robbery or war’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēpraedor‘to plunder, pillage, ravage’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdepraedatio‘plundering, pillaging’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600déprédation
- Englishearliest quotation 1983depredation
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeda‘plunder, booty, loot’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraedor‘to acquire loot, such as through robbery or war’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēpraedor‘to plunder, pillage, ravage’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdepraedatio‘plundering, pillaging’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600déprédation
- Englishearliest quotation 1983depredation
Earliest quotation: 1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks: “An animal that produces only two to four young…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- ‘to find’
yet, guess, surprise, prison, prize, comprehensive, comprise, comprehend, apprentice, comprehension, apprehensive, apprehend, apprehension, reprehensible, reprieve, impregnable, beget, impresario, prehensile, 32 more
through Latin praedor ‘to acquire loot, such as through robbery or war’
Today it means
noun An act of consuming agricultural resources (crops, livestock), especially as plunder.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin praeda / depredation