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BREEDING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The sexual activity of conceiving and bearing offspring
Synonyms:
breeding; facts of life; procreation; reproduction
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("breeding" is a kind of...):
sex; sex activity; sexual activity; sexual practice (activities associated with sexual intercourse)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "breeding"):
crossbreeding; interbreeding; miscegenation (reproduction by parents of different races (especially by white and non-white persons))
generation; multiplication; propagation (the act of producing offspring or multiplying by such production)
Derivation:
breed (have young (animals) or reproduce (organisms))
Sense 2
Meaning:
The production of animals or plants by inbreeding or hybridization
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("breeding" is a kind of...):
production ((economics) manufacturing or mining or growing something (usually in large quantities) for sale)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "breeding"):
autosexing ((especially of domestic fowl) breeding to reveal differential sex characteristics at hatching)
cattle breeding (breeding cattle)
dog breeding (breeding dogs)
horse breeding (breeding horses)
Derivation:
breed (cause to procreate (animals))
Sense 3
Meaning:
Helping someone grow up to be an accepted member of the community
Example:
they debated whether nature or nurture was more important
Synonyms:
breeding; bringing up; fosterage; fostering; nurture; raising; rearing; upbringing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("breeding" is a kind of...):
acculturation; enculturation; socialisation; socialization (the adoption of the behavior patterns of the surrounding culture)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Elegance by virtue of fineness of manner and expression
Synonyms:
breeding; genteelness; gentility
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("breeding" is a kind of...):
elegance (a refined quality of gracefulness and good taste)
Sense 5
Meaning:
The result of good upbringing (especially knowledge of correct social behavior)
Example:
a woman of breeding and refinement
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("breeding" is a kind of...):
upbringing (properties acquired during a person's formative years)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Producing offspring or set aside especially for producing offspring
Example:
retained a few bulls for breeding purposes
Classified under:
Similar:
fruitful (productive or conducive to producing in abundance)
III. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb breed
Context examples:
Such an approach has the potential to significantly reduce breeding time compared to traditional methods.
(Harnessing tomato jumping genes could help speed-breed drought-resistant crops, University of Cambridge)
“He is just what a young man ought to be,” said she, “sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners!—so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!”
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
This is because meerkat underlings are forced to take the often-fatal risk of leaving the safety of the group to find breeding opportunities, say scientists.
(Breeder meerkats age faster, but their subordinates still die younger, University of Cambridge)
If America can go on breeding men like that, she will be a power in the world indeed.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
The results could be used along with breeding strategies to manipulate crop plants for nutritional and taste benefits.
(Is a milder mustard on the way?, National Science Foundation)
Visions of good and ill breeding, of old vulgarisms and new gentilities, were before her; and she was meditating much upon silver forks, napkins, and finger-glasses.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
I have found him capable of giving me much information on various subjects; and he has always answered my inquiries with readiness of good-breeding and good nature.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
The CBA/J mice exhibit an intermediate life span with good breeding performance.
(CBA/J Mouse, NCI Thesaurus)
The Laboratory maintains centralized foundation breeding colonies, production colonies of selected strains, and special breeding and embryo transfer rederivation of animals for use by Cancer Center investigators.
(Laboratory Animal Husbandry Shared Resource, NCI Thesaurus)
A tract of land cultivated for the purpose of agricultural production or devoted to the raising and breeding of domestic animals.
(Farm, NCI Thesaurus)
