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to rebreed

to rebreed

6.6
Make animals or plants have young again after an earlier attempt
  • verb
  • /ˌriːˈbriːd/
translation icon : recriar
  • They will rebreed the puppies next spring.

Examples

  • After the first litter was adopted, the farmer decided to rebreed the dog in the spring.

  • If the initial attempt fails, you may need to rebreed the animals next season.

  • The horticulturist planned to rebreed the rare orchid to improve its color.

  • The farm plans to rebreed the hens this year.

  • After the first litter was adopted, the farmer decided to rebreed the dog in the spring.

  • The horticulturist planned to rebreed the rare orchid to improve its color.

  • If the initial attempt fails, you may need to rebreed the animals next season.

Antonyms

to sterilize
  • Specialized
15 5.8

To make a person or animal unable to have children by a medical operation

Surface Forms

rebreed infinitive
rebreeding present participle
rebreeds third person singular
rebred past
rebred past participle

Morphology

rebreed = breed (transparent) = re + breed

This is standard productive prefixation: 're-' adds the meaning 'again' to 'breed'.

Etymology

The word rebreed combines the prefix re- 'again' and breed 'to produce young', like in replay or rewrite, so it means to breed an animal or plant 'again' after a first attempt.