Past tense of prey; to hunt and kill another animal for food, or to exploit someone.
From Old French preier, from Latin praeda (booty or plunder). Originally meant simply 'to plunder,' then narrowed to describe animal hunting and human exploitation.
The phrase 'preyed upon' reveals something interesting about language and power—we use the same word for a lion hunting a zebra and a scammer exploiting vulnerable elderly people, showing how predator-prey relationships exist throughout nature AND human society.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.