is there an active verb for what a “thing being consumed” does?
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if we consider the sentence birds consume spiders, and spiders consume flies
the "opposite" of that sentence is something like is flies <> spiders and spiders <> birds but, more active. As if the spider jumps down the birds throat.
I'm looking for that word. Something similar to "feeds into", but just one word ideally.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consume was not much help, I'm considering it in the second or third context, but from the point of view of the thing being consumed
antonyms
asked Sep 13 at 15:50
Mohammad Athar
1112
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 2 hours ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
if we consider the sentence birds consume spiders, and spiders consume flies
the "opposite" of that sentence is something like is flies <> spiders and spiders <> birds but, more active. As if the spider jumps down the birds throat.
I'm looking for that word. Something similar to "feeds into", but just one word ideally.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consume was not much help, I'm considering it in the second or third context, but from the point of view of the thing being consumed
antonyms
asked Sep 13 at 15:50
Mohammad Athar
1112
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 2 hours ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
5
Feed itself is possible, though hardly conventional. Flies feed spiders, and spiders feed birds.
– John Lawler
Sep 13 at 16:26
Nourish would be another possible verb. (As would sustain and energize.) Although less specific than feed, it seems more conventional to me.
– Jason Bassford
Sep 13 at 19:25
Why does the obvious "feed" not work for you? "Flies feed spiders and spiders feed birds…"
– Robbie Goodwin
Sep 15 at 20:54
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
if we consider the sentence birds consume spiders, and spiders consume flies
the "opposite" of that sentence is something like is flies <> spiders and spiders <> birds but, more active. As if the spider jumps down the birds throat.
I'm looking for that word. Something similar to "feeds into", but just one word ideally.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consume was not much help, I'm considering it in the second or third context, but from the point of view of the thing being consumed
antonyms
asked Sep 13 at 15:50
Mohammad Athar
1112
if we consider the sentence birds consume spiders, and spiders consume flies
the "opposite" of that sentence is something like is flies <> spiders and spiders <> birds but, more active. As if the spider jumps down the birds throat.
I'm looking for that word. Something similar to "feeds into", but just one word ideally.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consume was not much help, I'm considering it in the second or third context, but from the point of view of the thing being consumed
antonyms
antonyms
asked Sep 13 at 15:50
Mohammad Athar
1112
asked Sep 13 at 15:50
Mohammad Athar
1112
asked Sep 13 at 15:50
Mohammad Athar
1112
asked Sep 13 at 15:50
Mohammad Athar
1112
asked Sep 13 at 15:50
Mohammad Athar
1112
1112
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 2 hours ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 2 hours ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
5
Feed itself is possible, though hardly conventional. Flies feed spiders, and spiders feed birds.
– John Lawler
Sep 13 at 16:26
Nourish would be another possible verb. (As would sustain and energize.) Although less specific than feed, it seems more conventional to me.
– Jason Bassford
Sep 13 at 19:25
Why does the obvious "feed" not work for you? "Flies feed spiders and spiders feed birds…"
– Robbie Goodwin
Sep 15 at 20:54
add a comment |
5
Feed itself is possible, though hardly conventional. Flies feed spiders, and spiders feed birds.
– John Lawler
Sep 13 at 16:26
Nourish would be another possible verb. (As would sustain and energize.) Although less specific than feed, it seems more conventional to me.
– Jason Bassford
Sep 13 at 19:25
Why does the obvious "feed" not work for you? "Flies feed spiders and spiders feed birds…"
– Robbie Goodwin
Sep 15 at 20:54
5
5
Feed itself is possible, though hardly conventional. Flies feed spiders, and spiders feed birds.
– John Lawler
Sep 13 at 16:26
Feed itself is possible, though hardly conventional. Flies feed spiders, and spiders feed birds.
– John Lawler
Sep 13 at 16:26
Nourish would be another possible verb. (As would sustain and energize.) Although less specific than feed, it seems more conventional to me.
– Jason Bassford
Sep 13 at 19:25
Nourish would be another possible verb. (As would sustain and energize.) Although less specific than feed, it seems more conventional to me.
– Jason Bassford
Sep 13 at 19:25
Why does the obvious "feed" not work for you? "Flies feed spiders and spiders feed birds…"
– Robbie Goodwin
Sep 15 at 20:54
Why does the obvious "feed" not work for you? "Flies feed spiders and spiders feed birds…"
– Robbie Goodwin
Sep 15 at 20:54
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
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oldest
votes
up vote
0
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The word nourish is occasionally used this way, though usually for inanimate (or at least no-longer-animate) substances. From Merriam-Webster
- a. : to furnish or sustain with nutriment : FEEDPlants are nourished by rain and soil.
A couple of examples of this usage:
This hypoallergenic kibble nourishes your cat
—"James Wellbeloved Adult Cat Housecat - Duck" cat food ad
Research has shown that donated breast milk can nourish babies just as well as mother's own milk can.
—Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel, What to Expect the First Year, 2014.
In your case, you could say
Flies nourish spiders and spiders nourish birds.
The primary problem with this term (and also feed, as suggested in the comments and in M-W's definition for nourish) is that with animate subjects it is usually used to mean that the subject provides (some other) nourishment to the object: I nourish my children with healthy meals, nourish their imaginations with plenty of playtime, and nourish my skin with rich creams and lotions (that last one is probably debatable, science-wise). So readers may get a mental image of spiders bringing birdseed to birds, rather than crawling into the birds' mouths.
Even with this caveat, I think this is probably the best you can do, since offering oneself up to be eaten is a rare enough activity that there's not much call for an everyday verb to describe the action.
answered Sep 13 at 19:55
1006a
19.8k33585
Just realized @JasonBassford also suggested this in a comment, as I was taking my sweet time to answer (or rather, working in an answer around paid activities...). So hat-tip to Jason!
– 1006a
Sep 13 at 19:56
add a comment |
up vote
-1
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prey:
an animal hunted or seized for food, especially by a carnivorous animal
It can be used as a verb. For instance:
Birds preying on spiders is quite a sight!
answered Sep 13 at 16:29
Ricky
14.4k53480
add a comment |
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
0
down vote
The word nourish is occasionally used this way, though usually for inanimate (or at least no-longer-animate) substances. From Merriam-Webster
- a. : to furnish or sustain with nutriment : FEEDPlants are nourished by rain and soil.
A couple of examples of this usage:
This hypoallergenic kibble nourishes your cat
—"James Wellbeloved Adult Cat Housecat - Duck" cat food ad
Research has shown that donated breast milk can nourish babies just as well as mother's own milk can.
—Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel, What to Expect the First Year, 2014.
In your case, you could say
Flies nourish spiders and spiders nourish birds.
The primary problem with this term (and also feed, as suggested in the comments and in M-W's definition for nourish) is that with animate subjects it is usually used to mean that the subject provides (some other) nourishment to the object: I nourish my children with healthy meals, nourish their imaginations with plenty of playtime, and nourish my skin with rich creams and lotions (that last one is probably debatable, science-wise). So readers may get a mental image of spiders bringing birdseed to birds, rather than crawling into the birds' mouths.
Even with this caveat, I think this is probably the best you can do, since offering oneself up to be eaten is a rare enough activity that there's not much call for an everyday verb to describe the action.
answered Sep 13 at 19:55
1006a
19.8k33585
Just realized @JasonBassford also suggested this in a comment, as I was taking my sweet time to answer (or rather, working in an answer around paid activities...). So hat-tip to Jason!
– 1006a
Sep 13 at 19:56
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
The word nourish is occasionally used this way, though usually for inanimate (or at least no-longer-animate) substances. From Merriam-Webster
- a. : to furnish or sustain with nutriment : FEEDPlants are nourished by rain and soil.
A couple of examples of this usage:
This hypoallergenic kibble nourishes your cat
—"James Wellbeloved Adult Cat Housecat - Duck" cat food ad
Research has shown that donated breast milk can nourish babies just as well as mother's own milk can.
—Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel, What to Expect the First Year, 2014.
In your case, you could say
Flies nourish spiders and spiders nourish birds.
The primary problem with this term (and also feed, as suggested in the comments and in M-W's definition for nourish) is that with animate subjects it is usually used to mean that the subject provides (some other) nourishment to the object: I nourish my children with healthy meals, nourish their imaginations with plenty of playtime, and nourish my skin with rich creams and lotions (that last one is probably debatable, science-wise). So readers may get a mental image of spiders bringing birdseed to birds, rather than crawling into the birds' mouths.
Even with this caveat, I think this is probably the best you can do, since offering oneself up to be eaten is a rare enough activity that there's not much call for an everyday verb to describe the action.
answered Sep 13 at 19:55
1006a
19.8k33585
Just realized @JasonBassford also suggested this in a comment, as I was taking my sweet time to answer (or rather, working in an answer around paid activities...). So hat-tip to Jason!
– 1006a
Sep 13 at 19:56
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
The word nourish is occasionally used this way, though usually for inanimate (or at least no-longer-animate) substances. From Merriam-Webster
- a. : to furnish or sustain with nutriment : FEEDPlants are nourished by rain and soil.
A couple of examples of this usage:
This hypoallergenic kibble nourishes your cat
—"James Wellbeloved Adult Cat Housecat - Duck" cat food ad
Research has shown that donated breast milk can nourish babies just as well as mother's own milk can.
—Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel, What to Expect the First Year, 2014.
In your case, you could say
Flies nourish spiders and spiders nourish birds.
The primary problem with this term (and also feed, as suggested in the comments and in M-W's definition for nourish) is that with animate subjects it is usually used to mean that the subject provides (some other) nourishment to the object: I nourish my children with healthy meals, nourish their imaginations with plenty of playtime, and nourish my skin with rich creams and lotions (that last one is probably debatable, science-wise). So readers may get a mental image of spiders bringing birdseed to birds, rather than crawling into the birds' mouths.
Even with this caveat, I think this is probably the best you can do, since offering oneself up to be eaten is a rare enough activity that there's not much call for an everyday verb to describe the action.
answered Sep 13 at 19:55
1006a
19.8k33585
The word nourish is occasionally used this way, though usually for inanimate (or at least no-longer-animate) substances. From Merriam-Webster
- a. : to furnish or sustain with nutriment : FEEDPlants are nourished by rain and soil.
A couple of examples of this usage:
This hypoallergenic kibble nourishes your cat
—"James Wellbeloved Adult Cat Housecat - Duck" cat food ad
Research has shown that donated breast milk can nourish babies just as well as mother's own milk can.
—Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel, What to Expect the First Year, 2014.
In your case, you could say
Flies nourish spiders and spiders nourish birds.
The primary problem with this term (and also feed, as suggested in the comments and in M-W's definition for nourish) is that with animate subjects it is usually used to mean that the subject provides (some other) nourishment to the object: I nourish my children with healthy meals, nourish their imaginations with plenty of playtime, and nourish my skin with rich creams and lotions (that last one is probably debatable, science-wise). So readers may get a mental image of spiders bringing birdseed to birds, rather than crawling into the birds' mouths.
Even with this caveat, I think this is probably the best you can do, since offering oneself up to be eaten is a rare enough activity that there's not much call for an everyday verb to describe the action.
answered Sep 13 at 19:55
1006a
19.8k33585
answered Sep 13 at 19:55
1006a
19.8k33585
answered Sep 13 at 19:55
1006a
19.8k33585
answered Sep 13 at 19:55
1006a
19.8k33585
19.8k33585
Just realized @JasonBassford also suggested this in a comment, as I was taking my sweet time to answer (or rather, working in an answer around paid activities...). So hat-tip to Jason!
– 1006a
Sep 13 at 19:56
add a comment |
Just realized @JasonBassford also suggested this in a comment, as I was taking my sweet time to answer (or rather, working in an answer around paid activities...). So hat-tip to Jason!
– 1006a
Sep 13 at 19:56
Just realized @JasonBassford also suggested this in a comment, as I was taking my sweet time to answer (or rather, working in an answer around paid activities...). So hat-tip to Jason!
– 1006a
Sep 13 at 19:56
Just realized @JasonBassford also suggested this in a comment, as I was taking my sweet time to answer (or rather, working in an answer around paid activities...). So hat-tip to Jason!
– 1006a
Sep 13 at 19:56
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
prey:
an animal hunted or seized for food, especially by a carnivorous animal
It can be used as a verb. For instance:
Birds preying on spiders is quite a sight!
answered Sep 13 at 16:29
Ricky
14.4k53480
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
prey:
an animal hunted or seized for food, especially by a carnivorous animal
It can be used as a verb. For instance:
Birds preying on spiders is quite a sight!
answered Sep 13 at 16:29
Ricky
14.4k53480
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
up vote
-1
down vote
prey:
an animal hunted or seized for food, especially by a carnivorous animal
It can be used as a verb. For instance:
Birds preying on spiders is quite a sight!
answered Sep 13 at 16:29
Ricky
14.4k53480
prey:
an animal hunted or seized for food, especially by a carnivorous animal
It can be used as a verb. For instance:
Birds preying on spiders is quite a sight!
answered Sep 13 at 16:29
Ricky
14.4k53480
answered Sep 13 at 16:29
Ricky
14.4k53480
answered Sep 13 at 16:29
Ricky
14.4k53480
answered Sep 13 at 16:29
Ricky
14.4k53480
14.4k53480
add a comment |
add a comment |
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5
Feed itself is possible, though hardly conventional. Flies feed spiders, and spiders feed birds.
– John Lawler
Sep 13 at 16:26
Nourish would be another possible verb. (As would sustain and energize.) Although less specific than feed, it seems more conventional to me.
– Jason Bassford
Sep 13 at 19:25
Why does the obvious "feed" not work for you? "Flies feed spiders and spiders feed birds…"
– Robbie Goodwin
Sep 15 at 20:54