breed

CEFRB2

/ˈbɹiːd/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A type of animal, or to produce young animals.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    To give birth to; to be the native place of.

Examples

  • Many animals breed only at certain times of the year.

  • Bacteria will not breed in alcohol.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meaning

  1. To mate.

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To produce offspring sexually; to bear young.

  2. To keep (animals) and have (them) reproduce in a way that improves the next generation's qualities.

More examples

In context

  • They breed cattle and horses.

  • She wanted to breed her cow to the neighbor's registered bull.

  • A northern country breeds stout men.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The kennel specializes in raising only one specific blank of golden retriever.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.