depredation

UK/ˌdɛpɹəˈdeɪʃən/

nounC2Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,683 of 15,258Too rare in one of the two pools to compare — fewer than 20 uses in speech or in writing

Other forms: depredations

Depredation is damage done by plundering or by nature. The depredations of war, depredations of time, suffer depredation.

It is nearly always plural and formal, and it covers deliberate looting and slow natural damage alike — the depredations of time on a building. In ecology it means loss of a crop or a flock to predators. The Latin praeda means booty.

Definitions of depredation

1noundepredationDamage done by plundering or by nature.C2
“The farmers suffered the depredations of bandits who stole their cattle.”

depredation is a damage.

Where it comes from

Latin depraedatio comes from depraedari, to plunder, from praeda, booty. Prey and predator are relatives.

Latin
depraedatio
Middle French
déprédation
English, today
depredation

From Middle French déprédation, from Latin depraedatio.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Song of Ice and Fire

Practise this word

depredation in the wild

Dio says that Corocotta's depredations caused Augustus to offer a large reward for his capture.
Corocotta
Raiding, also known as depredation, is a military tactic or operational warfare "smash and grab" mission which has a specific purpose.
Raid (military)
There has been a dramatic decrease in its population due to low reproduction rates and an increase of depredation on nests.
Mary River turtle
In northern Britain, Salvia nemorosa and Salvia pratensis are both in danger of disappearing due to depredation from slugs.
Salvia nemorosa
Federal Government allows depredation permits for migratory birds on farmland.
Depredation permit

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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