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definitions

breeder

[bree-der]
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR breeder ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an animal, plant, or person that produces offspring or reproduces.
a person who raises animals or plants primarily for breeding purposes.
Also called breeder reactor. Energy. a nuclear reactor in which more fissile material is produced than is consumed.
Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used by gays to refer to a heterosexual.
Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used especially by child-free people to refer to a biological parent.

Origin of breeder

First recorded in 1525–35; breed + -er1
Related formsnon·breed·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for breeder reactor

reactor, pile
British Dictionary definitions for breeder reactor

breeder reactor

noun

a type of nuclear reactor that produces more fissionable material than it consumesCompare converter reactor See also fast-breeder reactor

breeder

noun

a person who breeds plants or animals
something that reproduces, esp to excessrabbits are persistent breeders
an animal kept for breeding purposes
a source or causea breeder of discontent
short for breeder reactor
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for breeder reactor

breeder

n.

1570s, "one who produces or originates," agent noun from breed (v.). Meaning "one who breeds cattle" or some other animal is recorded from 1530s. Of nuclear reactors, from 1948. As a scornful homosexual term for "heterosexual person," attested from 1986.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
breeder reactor in Science

breeder reactor

[brē′dər]

A nuclear reactor that is used to create fissionable material (such as plutonium-239) by exposing nonfissionable material (such as uranium-238) to radiation. The source of the radiation is usually some other fissionable material. Breeder reactors produce more fissionable material than they use up.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
breeder reactor in Culture

breeder reactor

A nuclear reactor in which plutonium and other materials are produced as a by-product.

Note

Breeder reactors are designed to produce more fuel than they consume.

Note

The development of the breeder reactor has been stopped in the United States, but continues to be pursued in Europe and Japan.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.