Where does “depredation” come from?
Depredation comes from Middle French déprédation, from Latin depraedatio, a noun formed with the suffix -tio from the verb stem combining Latin de- and prae with the root gʰed- meaning to seize or take.
depredation (English): An act of consuming agricultural resources (crops, livestock), especially as plunder
Definitions
- An act of consuming agricultural resources (crops, livestock), especially as plunder
Ancestry of “depredation”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | déprédation | — |
| 2 | Latin | depraedatio | plundering, pillaging; depredation |
| 3 | Latin | depraedor | I plunder, pillage, ravage |
| 4 | Latin | praedor | I acquire loot, such as through robbery or war; I... |
| 5 | Latin | praeda | plunder, spoils of war, booty; prey, game taken... |
| 6 | Latin | praeheda | — |
| 7 | Latin | prae | before; in front; in front of |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | prai | before; in front of |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |