thoroughbred
[ thur-oh-bred, -uh-bred, thuhr- ]
/ ˈθɜr oʊˌbrɛd, -əˌbrɛd, ˈθʌr- /
adjective
of pure or unmixed breed, stock, or lineage, as a horse or other animal; bred from the purest and best blood.
(sometimes initial capital letter) of or relating to the Thoroughbred breed of horses.
(of a person) having good breeding or education.
noun
(initial capital letter) one of a breed of horses, to which all racehorses belong, originally developed in England by crossing Arabian stallions with European mares.
a thoroughbred animal.
a well-bred or well-educated person.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- thorold,
- thoron,
- thorough,
- thorough bass,
- thorough brace,
- thoroughfare,
- thoroughgoing,
- thoroughly,
- thoroughpaced,
- thoroughpin
Origin of thoroughbred
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for thoroughbred
thoroughbred
/ (ˈθʌrəˌbrɛd) /
adjective
purebred
noun
a pedigree animal; purebred
a person regarded as being of good breeding
Thoroughbred
/ (ˈθʌrəˌbrɛd) /
noun
a British breed of horse the ancestry of which can be traced to English mares and Arab sires; most often used as a racehorse
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
thoroughbred
1701, of persons, "thoroughly accomplished," from thorough + past tense of breed. In the horse sense of "of pure breed or stock" it dates from 1796; the noun is first recorded 1842.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper