![]() And in cases where you need a noun it is almost certain that the word you should choose is prey. When referring to the action of asking for something the word you want is pray if you are taking something by force then you should use prey. The Household Journal of Information, Amusement and Domestic Economy, (New York, NY), 5 Jan. The prayer of religious misers six days out of the seven: “Let us prey!” Rockefeller opens every day with the devout expression, “Let us prey.” Rockefeller caries his religions into his business affairs,” says one of his biographers. More often the word prey is substituted for pray as a pun. ![]() Given the potentially violent nature of some of the meanings of prey it can look odd when one uses this word mistakenly for the beseeching or religious one such mistakes are not uncommon, even in edited prose. As a noun it carries such meanings as “an animal taken by a predator as food,” “one that is helpless or unable to resist attack,” and “the act or habit of preying.” As a verb it means “to seize and devour prey,” “to commit violence or robbery or fraud,” “to have an injurious, destructive, or wasting effect,” or “to make raids for the sake of booty” ( prey comes from the Latin praeda, meaning “booty, plunder”). Prey, on the other hand, is commonly found as both a verb and a noun. When used as an intransitive verb it may mean “to address God or a god with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving” or “to make a request in a humble manner.” As a transitive verb pray may mean “to entreat or implore” (in this sense it is often used as a function word in introducing a question, request, or plea) or “to get or bring by praying.” The Meaning and Use of 'Prey' Pray most often functions as a verb, with a small variety of definitions. The web-building spider comes to investigate what they believe is food, to find they themselves are on the menu.It's a useful distinction. It will vibrate the web of the intended prey in an attempt to imitate a victim caught in it. The Fringed Jumping Spider specialises in eating other spiders. Some active predators specialise in capturing and eating other predators. Dragonflies and Robber flies use speed and agility to pluck prey from the air, while some spiders construct casting nets that are thrown over prey as they fly past.
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