English
prey
Prey comes from Old French preie ‘booty’, and goes back to Latin praeda.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeda‘plunder, booty, pillage, spoils of war, property taken in war’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400preie‘booty’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500preye
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606prey
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeda‘plunder, booty, pillage, spoils of war, property taken in war’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400preie‘booty’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500preye
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1606prey
Earliest quotation: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of King Lear: “Hog in sloth, fox in stealth, […] lion in…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- ‘to find’
yet, guess, surprise, prison, prize, comprehensive, comprise, apprentice, comprehend, comprehension, apprehension, apprehensive, reprehensible, apprehend, reprieve, beget, impregnable, impresario, prehensile, 32 more
through Latin praeda ‘plunder, booty, pillage, spoils of war,…’
Another origin of prey
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰed-‘to find’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*praiɣodā‘plunder, booty’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraeda‘plunder, booty, loot’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraedor‘to acquire loot, such as through robbery or war’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEpraedōcollateral form of praedor
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400praer
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500praien
- Englishtodayprey
Today it means
noun That which is or may be seized by animals to be devoured.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin praeda / prey