Topic: BIOLOGY
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| Language: | Old English |
| Origin: | bredan |
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breed1 S3
past tense and past participle bred
past tense and past participle bred1 [intransitive] if animals breed, they mate in order to have babies : Eagles breed during the cooler months of the year.
Eagles breed during the cooler months of the year.2 [transitive]TAHB to keep animals or plants in order to produce babies or new plants, especially ones with particular qualities : These dogs were originally bred in Scotland to round up sheep. ➔ crossbreed1, purebred, thoroughbred
These dogs were originally bred in Scotland to round up sheep.3 [transitive] to cause a particular feeling or condition : Poor living conditions breed violence and despair.
Poor living conditions breed violence and despair.4 [transitive] if a place, situation, or thing breeds a particular type of person, it produces that type : Society's obsession with sex has bred a generation of unhappy children.
Society's obsession with sex has bred a generation of unhappy children. ➔ well-bred
