bred-in-the-bone

[bred-n-thuh-bohn]

adjective

1. firmly instilled or established as if by heredity.

   the bred-in-the-bone integrity of the school's headmaster.

2. deeply committed or resolved; unwavering.

   a bred-in-the-bone believer in civil rights.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bred-in-the-bone¹

First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English; from the proverb “What is bred in the bone will not come out of the flesh,” first recorded in England (in Latin ) circa 1290, and widespread in various versions