breeding
/ˈbɹiːdɪŋ/
breeding noun: propagation of offspring through sexual reproduction. Also the present participle and gerund of breed.
Noun
breeding (countable and uncountable, plural breedings)
- Propagation of offspring through sexual reproduction.
- In analysing the ecological conditions of an animal population we have above all to focus our attention upon the most sensitive stages within the life cycle of the animal, that is, the period of breeding and larval development.1950, Gunnar Thorson, “Reproductive and Larval Ecology of Marine Bottom Invertebrates”, in Biological Reviews, volume 25, number 1, pages 1–45
- 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.2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 222
- The act of insemination by natural or artificial means.
- The act of copulation in animals.
- The good manners regarded as characteristic of the aristocracy and conferred by heredity.
- Nurture; education; formation of manners.
- She had her breeding at my father's charge.c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- Descent; pedigree; extraction.
- Your dog has good breeding.
- Honest gentlemen, I know not your breeding.c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […]...
- Ejaculation inside the rectum during bareback anal sex.
Adjective
breeding (not comparable)
- Of, relating to or used for breeding.
- Your toothbrush is a breeding ground for bacteria.
Proper noun capitalized: Breeding
Breeding (plural Breedings)
- A surname.
Also used as
breeding is also the present participle and gerund of breed.
breeding meaning in Marathi, Bengali, Telugu and Malayalam
breeding in Marathi
- प्रजनन, प्रजनना, प्रजनने
breeding in Bengali
- প্রজনন
breeding in Telugu
- ప్రజననం
breeding in Malayalam
- process through which propagation, growth or development occurs
- പ്രജനനം prajananaṁ
More languagesFewer languages
- breeding in Kannada
- ತಳಿ ಬೆಳೆಸುವಿಕೆ, ತಳಿ ಬೆಳೆಸುವುದು
- breeding in Punjabi
- ਪ੍ਰਜਨਨ, ਪ੍ਰਜਨਣ
- breeding in Gujarati
- સંવર્ધન
- breeding in Tagalog
- palabinhian
- breeding in Malay
- pembiakbakaan
- breeding in Indonesian
- pemuliaan
Examples of breeding in a sentence
- This book is the world's most authoritative guide to insect breeding habits.
- Etatism is inherently oppressive and expansionist, breeding monism, intolerance, and hostility.
- Dogs that compete in dog shows are the result of careful dog breeding.
Forms of breeding
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | breedings |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Breedings |
Origin of breeding
From Middle English breedyng, bredynge (“gestation, incubation, propagation, hatching; engineering, formation, development, growth”), equivalent to breed + -ing.
From Middle English bredyng, bredynge, from Old English *brēdende, from Proto-Germanic *brōdijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *brōdijaną (“to brood; breed”), equivalent to breed + -ing.
Words formed from breeding
Phrases with breeding
Words that rhyme with breeding
Questions about breeding
- What does breeding mean?
- Breeding means propagation of offspring through sexual reproduction.
- What is breeding in Marathi?
- Breeding in Marathi is प्रजनन, प्रजनना, प्रजनने. See Breeding meaning in Marathi.
- What part of speech is breeding?
- Breeding can be a noun, an adjective or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce breeding?
- Breeding is pronounced /ˈbɹiːdɪŋ/.
- What is the plural of breeding?
- The plural of breeding is breedings.
Words near breeding in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: breeding (page history and authors); Breeding (page history and authors); breeding (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); breeding (Bengali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); breeding (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); breeding (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); breeding (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); breeding (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-breeding.wav.
Cite this entry: “breeding.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/breeding. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.