Predate <prey upon>

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Jul 3, 2014, at 6:45 AM, Arnold Zwicky <zwicky at STANFORD.EDU> wrote:

[stuff with formatting characters in it]

sorry about that; i don't know how they were introduced.  but NOAD2 distinguishes "predate" also "pre-date"), with secondary accent on the prefix "pre" and primary accent on the base "date", and "predate" from  "predator", with unaccented first syllable.  (for the second, a pronunciation based on "predator" rather than "predation" can also be found: primary accent on the first syllable, with vowel /E/.)

the syntax is also interesting: NOAD2 has predatory "predate" as an ordinary transitive, as in WB's razorbill cite, but i'd prefer intransitive (P-marked) "predate' for the back-formation with /E/: foxes canm also predate on significant numbers ...

arnold

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