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 Words From

• non·breeding adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of breeding¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; breed, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

According to Cornell University's All about Birds website, the male breeding birds have a bright red body and black wings and tails, while females and juvenile birds have a yellowish-green body.

From BBC

The success of Koch’s approach inadvertently led to the United States' most fertile breeding ground for punters being on the other side of the world.

From BBC

“The use of selective breeding over the past 50 years has brought a huge number of animal welfare problems,” he says.

From BBC

Last year the previous government passed the Precision Breeding Act, which paved the way for the commercial sale of gene-edited food in England.

From BBC

But Defra ministers also have to consider the views of environmental campaigners, such as Dr Helen Wallace of Genewatch UK, who have concerns about the “unwanted consequences” of the Precision Breeding Act.

From BBC

Related Words

• development
• rearing
• training