From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Prey \Prey\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Preyed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Preying.] [OF. preier, preer, L. praedari, fr. praeda. See
Prey, n.]
To take booty; to gather spoil; to ravage; to take food by
violence.
[1913 Webster]
More pity that the eagle should be mewed,
While kites and buzzards prey at liberty. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
To prey on or To prey upon.
(a) To take prey from; to despoil; to pillage; to rob.
--Shak.
(b) To seize as prey; to take for food by violence; to seize
and devour. --Shak.
(c) To wear away gradually; to cause to waste or pine away;
as, the trouble preyed upon his mind. --Addison.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Prey \Prey\, n. [OF. preie, F. proie, L. praeda, probably for
praeheda. See Prehensile, and cf. Depredate,
Predatory.]
Anything, as goods, etc., taken or got by violence; anything
taken by force from an enemy in war; spoil; booty; plunder.
[1913 Webster]
And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the
spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest. --Num. xxxi.
12.
[1913 Webster]
2. That which is or may be seized by animals or birds to be
devoured; hence, a person given up as a victim.
[1913 Webster]
The old lion perisheth for lack of prey. --Job iv.
ii.
[1913 Webster]
Already sees herself the monster's prey. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
3. The act of devouring other creatures; ravage.
[1913 Webster]
Hog in sloth, fox in stealth, . . . lion in prey.
--Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Beast of prey, a carnivorous animal; one that feeds on the
flesh of other animals.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
prey
n 1: a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim
of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or
influence; "he fell prey to muggers"; "everyone was fair
game"; "the target of a manhunt" [syn: prey, quarry,
target, fair game]
2: animal hunted or caught for food [syn: prey, quarry]
v 1: profit from in an exploitatory manner; "He feeds on her
insecurity" [syn: prey, feed]
2: prey on or hunt for; "These mammals predate certain eggs"
[syn: raven, prey, predate]