breeding

American  

[bree-ding] / ˈbri dɪŋ /

noun

1. the producing of offspring.

2. the improvement or development of breeds of livestock, as by selective mating and hybridization.

3. Horticulture. the production of new forms by selection, crossing, and hybridizing.

4. training; nurture.

   He is a man of good breeding.

5. the result of upbringing or training as shown in behavior and manners; manners, especially good manners.

   You can tell when a person has breeding.

6. Energy. the production in a nuclear reactor of more fissile material than is consumed.

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breeding British  

/ ˈbriːdɪŋ /

noun

1. the process of bearing offspring; reproduction

2. the process of producing plants or animals by sexual reproduction

3. the result of good training, esp the knowledge of correct social behaviour; refinement

   a man of breeding

4. a person's line of descent

   his breeding was suspect

5. physics a process occurring in a nuclear reactor as a result of which more fissionable material is produced than is used up

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Other Word Forms

• nonbreeding adjective

Etymology

Origin of breeding

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; breed, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

He said buffet-style catering can increase the risk and be a "breeding ground" for bacteria and viruses.

From BBC

Today they dart and shimmer through the warm water — tiny, minnow-like survivors whose breeding males flash a bright desert blue.

From Los Angeles Times

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences are also working to accelerate the breeding of a high-yield line of soybean seeds.

From The Wall Street Journal

Last year, wildlife television presenter Chris Packham praised two teenagers who had been trying to increase their numbers by breeding them at home.

From BBC

"Almost all other monogamous mammals either live in tight family units of just a breeding pair and their offspring, or in groups where only one female breeds," said Dyble.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• development
• rearing
• training