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what is the difference between spoil and prey
what is the difference between spoil and prey
Jul 16, 2012 5:12 AM
Answers · 1
I do have a suggestion: could you also give us the original Chinese word you translated? This would help us a lot in answering you.
The modern understanding of "spoil" is a verb, meaning to ruin or render (something) useless. The meaning you want - as a noun - is plunder or booty, such as in the phrase "the spoils of war". Actually, both the noun and the verb originally referred to stripping something off an object, like stripping the skin off an animal.
"Prey" can have a slightly similar meaning (booty/something gained), but the general understanding is that prey is a living animal, which is hunted for food. For example, a lion is a hunter; a zebra is the lion's prey.
July 16, 2012
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Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Learning Language
English
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