Breed Meaning
/ˈbɹiːd/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo produce offspring sexually; to bear young.
verbTo give birth to; to be the native place of.
Sentence Examples
Bacteria will not breed in alcohol.
They breed cattle and horses.
Many animals breed only at certain times of the year.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The kennel specializes in raising only one specific ____ of golden retriever.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
What is your favorite ____ of dog to have as a pet in your own home?.
Word Origin & History
Inherited from Middle English breden, from Old English brēdan, from Proto-Germanic *brōdijaną (“to brood”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreh₁- (“warm”). Cognate with Scots brede, breid, Saterland Frisian briede, West Frisian briede, Low German bröden, Dutch broeden, German brüten.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Plant breeding is always a numbers game.[…]The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, and individual plants are highly heterozygous and do not breed true. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better."
— 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
"Yet every mother breeds not sons alike."
— c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:
"Ah wretched me! by fates averſe, decreed, / To bring thee forth with pain, with care to breed!"
— a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The First Book of Homer’s Ilias”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume IV, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 437:
"born and bred on the verge of the wilderness"
— 1859, Edward Everett, An Oration on the Occasion of the Dedication of the Statue of Mr. Webster:
"lest the place / And my queint habits breed astonishment"
— 1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC, page 6, lines 156–157:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The kennel specializes in raising only one specific ____ of golden retriever.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
What is your favorite ____ of dog to have as a pet in your own home?.