breed

breed¹ S3 [bri:d] v past tense and past participle bred [bred]

[: Old English; Origin: bredan]

1.)

if animals breed, they ↑mate in order to have babies

▪ Eagles breed during the cooler months of the year.

2.) [T]

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

3.) [T]

to cause a particular feeling or condition

▪ Poor living conditions breed violence and despair.

4.) [T]

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.

→↑well-bred,born and bred [i]at ↑born² (3)

breed ²

breed² n

1.) a type of animal that is kept as a pet or on a farm

breed of

▪ Spaniels are my favourite breed of dog.

2.) a particular kind of person or type of thing

▪ Real cowboys are a dying breed (=not many exist anymore) .

▪ Dodd was one of that rare breed (=there are not many of them) who could make the game of football look simple.

breed of

▪ a new breed of international criminal