depredation
/ˌdɛprɪˈdeɪʃ(ə)n
/noun (usually depredations)
An act of attacking or plundering: protecting grain from the depredations of rats and mice...
- Also at risk, as much from further delays as from the operations themselves, is the supply of humanitarian aid to the refugees who are already suffering from the depredations of the attacks.
- The insurrectionists that we have oft complained of late have grown more bold in their depredations, attacking ever nearer to our palace.
- Property rather than the people themselves were the victims of his depredations but his attacks were aimed just as much at the civil will as the morale of Confederate soldiers.
Synonyms
plundering, plunder, looting, pillaging, robbing, robbery, raiding, ravaging, sacking, sack, ransacking, devastation, laying waste, wreckage, destruction, damage;
ravages, raids, acts of destruction
literary despoiling, despoliation, rape, rapine, ravin
archaic spoliation, reaving
Origin
Late 15th century (in the sense 'plundering, robbery', (plural) 'ravages'): from French déprédation, from late Latin depraedatio(n-), from depraedari 'plunder'.
prison from Old English:
This comes via Old French from Latin prehendere ‘to seize’. Prehendere is a rich source of English words, being found, amongst many, in apprehend (late 16th century), comprehend (late 16th century); prehensile (late 18th century); and reprehensible (Late Middle English). A shortening of prehendere lies behind praedari ‘plunder’ and praeda ‘booty’, which lie behind depredation (Late Middle English); predatory [L16]; and prey (Middle English).