Refine this word faster
Breed
Definitions
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A town and unincorporated community therein, in Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States, named after postmaster George M. Breed. countable, uncountable
- 1 All animals or plants of the same species or subspecies.
"a breed of tulip"
- 2 a special type wordnet
- 3 A race or lineage; offspring or issue.
"And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence."
- 4 a special variety of domesticated animals within a species wordnet
- 5 A group of people with shared characteristics. informal
"People who were taught classical Greek and Latin at school are a dying breed."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Ellipsis of half-breed. abbreviation, alt-of, derogatory, ellipsis
"[…] you stinking breed!" he answered through gritted teeth. John leaned down and placed the barrel of his six-gun hard against one of Dunlap's eyes."
- 1 To produce offspring sexually; to bear young.
"Plant breeding is always a numbers game.[…]The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, and individual plants are highly heterozygous and do not breed true. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better."
- 2 have young (animals) or reproduce (organisms) wordnet
- 3 To give birth to; to be the native place of. transitive
"A pond breeds fish."
- 4 cause to procreate (animals) wordnet
- 5 To mate.
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 copulate with a female, used especially of horses wordnet
- 7 To keep (animals) and have (them) reproduce in a way that improves the next generation's qualities. transitive
- 8 call forth wordnet
- 9 To arrange the mating of (specific animals). often, transitive
"She wanted to breed her cow to the neighbor's registered bull."
- 10 To propagate or grow (plants) in an effort to give (them) certain qualities.
"He tries to breed blue roses."
- 11 To take care of in infancy and through childhood; to bring up.
"born and bred"
- 12 To yield or result in.
"disaster breeds famine"
- 13 To be formed in the parent or dam; to be generated or to grow, like young before birth. intransitive, obsolete
- 14 To educate; to instruct; to bring up. sometimes
"No care was taken to breed him a Protestant."
- 15 To produce or obtain by any natural process.
"Children would breed their teeth with much less danger."
- 16 To have birth; to be produced, developed, or multiplied. intransitive
"Fair encounter Of two most rare affections! Heavens rain grace On that which breed between 'em!"
- 17 To ejaculate inside (a person or a bodily orifice of same); to creampie. slang, transitive, vulgar
"2018, Cassandra Dee, Paying My Boyfriend's Debt: A Billionaire Bad Boy Romance, Cassandra Dee Romance via PublishDrive “God, I love your ass,” he says, his voice almost a growl. “I'm gonna breed this ass tonight.”"
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English breden, from Old English brēdan, from Proto-Germanic *brōdijaną (“to brood”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreh₁- (“warm”). Cognate with Scots brede, breid, Saterland Frisian briede, West Frisian briede, Low German bröden, Dutch broeden, German brüten.
Inherited from Middle English breden, from Old English brēdan, from Proto-Germanic *brōdijaną (“to brood”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreh₁- (“warm”). Cognate with Scots brede, breid, Saterland Frisian briede, West Frisian briede, Low German bröden, Dutch broeden, German brüten.
See also for "breed"
Next best steps
Mini challenge
Unscramble this word: breed