# breed

Pronunciation: say "BREED" /bɹiːd/

## Noun

1. The complete set of animals or plants belonging to one species or subspecies.
   - Simple: A group of animals or plants that all belong to the same kind.
   - _The whole breed of mountain goat is adapted to thin mountain air._
   - _Different breeds of salmon return to separate rivers to spawn._
4. A group of people marked by the same notable characteristics or qualities. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A type of person who shares the same way of acting or thinking as others.
   - _Investigative reporters are a tough breed who chase hard truths._
   - _He's part of a new breed of socially minded entrepreneurs._
9. A line of descent or lineage, together with the offspring or issue it produces.
   - Simple: A family line, and the young and descendants that come from it.
   - _She descended from an old breed of highland shepherds._
   - _The sailors were a fearless breed, born to the sea._
16. Ellipsis of half-breed. Offensive: a slur for a person of mixed ancestry. — Ellipsis of half-breed.
   - Simple: Short form of half-breed. It is an offensive term for a person of mixed ancestry.
   - _Neighbors whispered that the breed had no place among them._
   - _The foreman paid the breed less than the other workers._

## Verb

2. To keep animals and control their reproduction in order to improve the qualities of their offspring.
   - Simple: To raise animals and choose which ones have young, so the next generation is better.
   - _Ranchers breed cattle to increase resistance to local diseases._
   - _She breeds sheep for finer, longer wool._
3. To produce offspring through sexual reproduction, mating and then carrying and bearing the young.
   - Simple: To produce young by mating and giving birth.
   - _Pandas rarely breed successfully in captivity._
   - _Many seabirds breed on remote, rocky islands._
5. Of animals, to come together as mates in order to reproduce their kind.
   - Simple: To join with a mate to produce young.
   - _Salmon swim upstream to breed where they hatched._
   - _Wild geese breed along the northern coast each summer._
6. To deliberately pair specific animals so that they mate and produce offspring.
   - Simple: To put certain chosen animals together so that they have young.
   - _The stud farm breeds its mares to champion stallions._
   - _Conservationists carefully breed the remaining condors in pairs._
7. To give rise to or bring about something, especially gradually over time.
   - Simple: To cause something to grow or develop, often slowly.
   - _Constant secrecy can breed mistrust among coworkers._
   - _Economic uncertainty often breeds political unrest._
8. To propagate plants selectively in order to give them particular desired qualities.
   - Simple: To grow plants with care so the new ones have the qualities you want.
   - _Horticulturists breed wheat varieties that resist drought._
   - _He breeds orchids prized for their unusual shapes._
10. To give birth to offspring, or to be the native region from which a kind of living thing comes.
   - Simple: To give birth to young, or to be the home where a kind of creature comes from.
   - _Marshlands breed mosquitoes in vast numbers each summer._
   - _Wild horses breed foals across the open plains._
11. To come into being and increase in number through a natural process of production or growth.
   - Simple: To come into being and grow in number.
   - _Rumors breed easily where reliable information is scarce._
   - _Bacteria breed rapidly in warm, moist conditions._
12. To care for and raise a child through infancy and childhood; to bring up.
   - Simple: To care for and raise a child from a baby until they grow up.
   - _Her parents bred her to value learning above wealth._
   - _Families in that village breed their young to respect tradition._
13. To produce or bring about something through a natural process.
   - Simple: To make or produce something through a natural process.
   - _The damp cellar bred mold within weeks._
   - _Hard times breed strong character in people._
14. To educate and instruct someone; to bring up.
   - Simple: To teach and raise someone as they grow up.
   - _Old families often bred their sons for military service._
   - _They breed their apprentices in the traditional crafts._
15. To ejaculate inside a sexual partner rather than withdrawing; to creampie. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To finish inside a sexual partner during sex instead of pulling out.
   - _He told her he wanted to breed her, ignoring her objections._
   - _The story described how he bred her without warning._

## Verb

17. To be formed and grow within the parent or mother, as young develop before birth. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To grow and take shape inside the mother before being born.

## Origin

"Breed" comes from Middle English breden, from Old English brēdan ("to brood"), from Proto-Germanic *brōdijaną, and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰreh₁- ("warm"). It is related to Dutch broeden and German brüten.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/breed (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).