domestic animal

American  

noun

1. an animal, as the horse or cat, that has been tamed and kept by humans as a work animal, food source, or pet, especially a member of those species that have, through selective breeding, become notably different from their wild ancestors.

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Etymology

Origin of domestic animal

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

This pattern has been seen in every domestic animal, except dogs.

From Science Daily • Nov. 6, 2023

“It can happen wherever there is frequent wild or domestic animal and human interactions.”

From New York Times • Jul. 6, 2023

Limiting domestic animal contact with wild birds—particularly at shared water sources—is essential.

From Scientific American • Apr. 6, 2023

Chuc Bui said it might also be because ancient Vietnamese people who originally lived in the lowlands preferred a more domestic animal like the cat over a wild animal like the rabbit.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2023

Those extinctions eliminated all the large wild animals that might otherwise have been candidates for domestication, and left native Australians and New Guineans with not a single native domestic animal.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond