1. The production of animals or plants by inbreeding or hybridization
   "The breeder's careful breeding program resulted in a new strain of drought-resistant wheat"
    
2. Helping someone grow up to be an accepted member of the community
   "they debated whether nature or breeding was more important";
   - bringing up, fostering, fosterage, nurture, raising, rearing, upbringing
    
3. Elegance by virtue of fineness of manner and expression
   "she conveys an aura of elegance and breeding";
   - genteelness, gentility
    
4. The result of good upbringing (especially knowledge of correct social behaviour)
   "a woman of breeding and refinement";
   - education, training

1. Producing offspring or set aside especially for producing offspring
   "the breeding population"; "retained a few bulls for breeding purposes"

1. Have young (animals) or reproduce (organisms)
   "pandas rarely breed in captivity"
    
2. Cause to procreate (animals)
   "She breeds dogs"
    
3. (animal husbandry) copulate with a female, used especially of horses
   "They brought the stallion to breed with the mare";
   - cover
    
4. Cause or give rise to something; bring into existence or cause to develop
   "The lack of regulation bred corruption in the industry";
   - engender, spawn, birth

Derived forms: breedings

See also: fruitful

Type of: acculturation, cause, copulate, couple, create, do, elegance, elegancy [archaic], enculturation, engender, make, mate, multiply, pair, procreate, produce, production, reproduce, socialisation [Brit], socialization, upbringing

Encyclopedia: Breeding, Kentucky