breeding

[bree-ding]

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.

breeding

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• nonbreeding adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of breeding¹

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

Example Sentences

The targeted wolves included a breeding male and female pair, a solo male and a solo female.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Freedom For Animals launched its Free The Fifteen campaign in January 2024, arguing that since gentoo penguins are not classified as an endangered species, there is no justification for breeding and keeping them in captivity.

Read more on BBC

The cost of breeding, raising and training each guide dog can go up to £77,000, according to the charity, meaning the Baker's Dozen could cost just over £1m.

Read more on BBC

That syrupy-sweet and shockingly crisp fruit came from an unremarkable sapling that Bedford, then a graduate student, had rescued from the discard pile of a University of Minnesota breeding program.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That year, the Nēnē was named the state bird, bringing more attention to conservation efforts and funding to captive breeding in order to release the bird back into the wild.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• development 
• rearing www.thesaurus.com
• training