Predatory

How to spell predatory

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce predatory

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does predatory mean?

1. adjectiveLiving by killing and eating other animals, or behaving in a way that ruthlessly exploits others for gain.

Predatory in a sentence

• The documentary followed the predatory habits of the local wolf pack.

• Regulators cracked down on predatory lending that trapped families in debt.

Where does predatory come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word goes back to the Latin praeda, which literally meant 'booty', 'plunder', or 'prey', the spoils that a hunter or a raiding army carried off. From that noun the Romans formed the verb praedari, 'to seize as prey' or 'to plunder', and the adjective praedatorius, describing anything given to robbing or hunting. English took the word in during the early 1600s, at first to describe animals that survive by killing and eating others. Over time the sense broadened to cover human behaviour, so that a person or business can be called predatory when they ruthlessly exploit the weak for gain. The 'a' in the middle is a useful reminder of that original praeda, 'prey', and explaining the spelling: think of the prey that a predator pursues rather than reaching for an 'e'.

How the word is built

• predat- (from Latin praedari: to plunder, seize prey)
• -ory (adjective suffix meaning 'relating to')