Prey, which is an uncountable noun, is an animal or animals hunted for food by other meat-eating animals. A thing or person that is victim to an enemy, affliction, or disease is also prey. As a verb, to prey, always followed by on or upon, means ‘to hunt animals for food,’ ‘to attack in order to destroy or steal,’ or ‘to trouble…
Heat is the condition or quality of being hot, the sensation of warmth, a period of hot weather, or the degree of hotness of something. It is also a source of warmth and, when we’re talking about food, the spiciness. Figuratively, heat can mean ‘passion’ or ‘the point of greatest intensity.’ Informally, heat means a pursuit or investigation run by the police, intense pressure, or…
A spear is a long wooden shaft with a sharp pointed head, usually made of metal or stone. It can be used as a weapon or as a fishing tool. Usually in a military context, a spear can also mean ‘a person armed with a spear.’ As a verb, to spear means ‘to stab or pierce with, or as though with, a spear’ and it can also be used figuratively…
A pin is a small piece of metal used as a fastener or support, as well as many different forms of fasteners, badges, or ornaments made with sharp wires. It is also a short metal, wooden, or plastic rod driven through holes in adjacent parts of something, like the hub of a wheel and its axle, in order to hold those parts together. Informally, legs can be called pins, although this is now rather dated. As a verb, to pin means…
A scale is one of the very thin plates that form the covering of fish or lizards, or any thin and flat thing that peels off any surface. As an uncountable noun, scale can be a coating that builds up on the inside of something, like a kettle or boiler, due to salts in the water. As a verb, to scale means…
