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Origin and history of breeding

breeding(n.)

early 14c., "hatching, incubation; act of generating or producing;" late 14c., "formation, development, growth;" verbal noun from breed (v.). The meaning "manners, deportment in social life" is from 1590s (commonly short for good breeding), from the notion of "upbringing."

also from early 14c.

Entries linking to breeding

breed(v.)

Old English bredan "bring (young) to birth, procreate," also "cherish, keep warm," from West Germanic *brodjan (source also of Old High German bruoten, German brüten "to brood, hatch"), from *brod- "fetus, hatchling," from PIE root *bhreu- "to boil, bubble, effervesce, burn." The etymological notion is incubation, warming to hatch.

The intransitive sense "come into being" is from c. 1200; that of "beget or bear offspring" is from mid-13c. Of livestock, etc., "procure by the mating of parents and rear for use," mid-14c. The sense of "grow up, be reared" (in a clan, etc.) is late 14c.; the meaning "form by education" is from mid-15c. Related: Bred; breeding.

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    procreation
    late 14c., procreacioun, "process of begetting offspring, generation and production of young," from Old French procreacion (14c., Modern French prócreation) and directly from Latin procreationem (nominative procreatio) "a begetting, generation," noun of action from past-participl
    upbringing
    1510s, "act of rearing a young person," from up (adv.) + bringing (see bring (v.)). Mainly in Scottish in 16c.; in general use from c. 1870, according to OED. A verb upbring (past participle upbrought) was in Middle English in a sense "raise, rear, bring up, nurture" (c. 1300), b
    education
    1530s, "child-rearing," also "the training of animals," from French education (14c.) and directly from Latin educationem (nominative educatio) "a rearing, training," noun of action from past-participle stem of educare (see educate). Originally of instruction in social codes and m
    stud
    "horse used for breeding," Old English stod "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding," from Proto-Germanic...Sense of "male horse kept for breeding" is first recorded 1803; meaning "man who is highly active and proficient sexually...
    warren
    late 14c., "piece of land enclosed for breeding beasts and fowls," from Anglo-French and Old North French warenne (Old French...Later especially "piece of land for breeding of rabbits" (c. 1400), which led to the transferred sense of "cluster of densely...
    stirp
    Hence stirpiculture "breeding of special stocks or strains, production of pure races by careful breeding" (1869)....
    humanity
    humanitatem (nominative humanitas) "human nature; the human race, mankind;" also "humane conduct, philanthropy, kindness; good breeding...
    pair
    mid-13c., paire, "a set of two, two of a kind coupled in use," from Old French paire "pair, couple," and directly from Medieval Latin paria "equals," neuter plural of Latin par (genitive paris) "a pair, counterpart, equal," noun use of par (adj.) "equal, equal-sized, well-matched
    generation
    early 14c., "body of individuals born about the same period" (historically 30 years but in other uses as few as 17), on the notion of "descendants at the same stage in the line of descent," from Old French generacion "race, people, species; progeny, offspring; act of procreating"
    production
    c. 1400, produccioun, "a coming into being," from Old French production "production, exhibition" (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin productionem (nominative productio) "a prolonging, lengthening," noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin producere "bring forth" (see

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