Breeding

the producing of offspring.
the improvement or development of breeds of livestock, as by selective mating and hybridization.
Horticulture. the production of new forms by selection, crossing, and hybridizing.
training; nurture:
He is a man of good breeding.
the result of upbringing or training as shown in behavior and manners; manners, especially good manners:
You can tell when a person has breeding.
Energy. the production in a nuclear reactor of more fissile material than is consumed.
to produce (offspring); procreate; engender.
to produce by mating; propagate sexually; reproduce:
Ten mice were bred in the laboratory.
Horticulture.

to cause to reproduce by controlled pollination.
to improve by controlled pollination and selection.

to raise (cattle, sheep, etc.):
He breeds longhorns on the ranch.
to cause or be the source of; engender; give rise to:
Dirt breeds disease. Stagnant water breeds mosquitoes.
to develop by training or education; bring up; rear:
He was born and bred a gentleman.
Energy. to produce more fissile nuclear fuel than is consumed in a reactor.
to impregnate; mate:
Breed a strong mare with a fast stallion and hope for a Derby winner.
to produce offspring:
Many animals breed in the spring.
to be engendered or produced; grow; develop:
Bacteria will not breed in alcohol.
to cause the birth of young, as in raising stock.
to be pregnant.
Genetics. a relatively homogenous group of animals within a species, developed and maintained by humans.
lineage; stock; strain:
She comes from a fine breed of people.
sort; kind; group:
Scholars are a quiet breed.
Disparaging and Offensive. half-breed (def 1).
Contemporary Examples

The Weird Underground World of Urban Animal Husbandry Dale Eisinger May 18, 2014
Investigators Track Adam Lanza’s Facebook Impersonators Lauren Ashburn December 16, 2012
10 Congressmen Who Should Be Fired John Avlon July 28, 2010
Can These Two Horses Save Racing? Sally Denton June 3, 2009
The Sacrificial Limbs of New Orleans Nina Strochlic March 11, 2014

Historical Examples

Lorna Doone R. D. Blackmore
A Manual or an Easy Method of Managing Bees John M. Weeks
Hunting Dogs Oliver Hartley
More Letters of Charles Darwin Charles Darwin
The Real Shelley, Vol. I (of 2) John Cordy Jeaffreson

noun
the process of bearing offspring; reproduction
the process of producing plants or animals by sexual reproduction
the result of good training, esp the knowledge of correct social behaviour; refinement: a man of breeding
a person’s line of descent: his breeding was suspect
(physics) a process occurring in a nuclear reactor as a result of which more fissionable material is produced than is used up
verb breeds, breeding, bred
to bear (offspring)
(transitive) to bring up; raise
to produce or cause to produce by mating; propagate
to produce and maintain new or improved strains of (domestic animals and plants)
to produce or be produced; generate: to breed trouble, violence breeds in densely populated areas
noun
a group of organisms within a species, esp a group of domestic animals, originated and maintained by man and having a clearly defined set of characteristics
a lineage or race: a breed of Europeans
a kind, sort, or group: a special breed of hatred
n.
v.
n.
breed
(brēd)
Verb

Noun A group of organisms having common ancestors and sharing certain traits that are not shared with other members of the same species. Breeds are usually produced by mating selected parents.
see: familiarity breeds contempt