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

Because these lentils have been shaped for centuries to thrive in hot, dry conditions, they could become an important resource for breeding crops that can cope with ongoing climate change.

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That knowledge should speed up the breeding of more productive plants.

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It’s where Kobayashi still does her breeding work, where she hopes to someday create a golden poinsettia.

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But in a year or two, “probably the vast majority of these groups will be breeding and producing anywhere between six and 10 pups.”

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The African penguin recently became the focus of a significant South African court case that questioned the lack of meaningful fishing restrictions near breeding sites.

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Related Words

• development 
• rearing www.thesaurus.com
• training