half-breed
1
9.3
- adjective
- /ˈhæfˌbrid/
:
mestizo
- The morning that Mr. Whitaker of the Whitaker Orphan Home dropped Ivy and the rest of his half-breeds at the steps of the Chilocco boarding school, Ivy didn't have to hide anything.
Examples
-
People often adopt half-breed animals because they can have the best traits from both parents.
-
I'll take the half-breed to Munich myself if I have to!
Fiction book (1999) -
Making half-breed monsters.
Fiction book (1998) -
The shelter had many dogs, including a half-breed that was playful and friendly.
-
The veterinarian explained that a half-breed dog may have different characteristics than a purebred.
Synonyms
31
3.7
Made by crossing two different kinds of animal or plant
An animal whose one parent is pure and the other parent is mixed
An animal with only one purebred parent
An animal or plant bred from parents of different breeds, sometimes from different species
Made by breeding two different types of the same animal or plant
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word half-breed comes from the two simple words half ('partly') and breed ('type or family of animal'). It was used for an animal that is 'partly' one breed and not fully purebred.