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Glite Dictionary
tupping season

tupping season

9.9
The time when male and female sheep are kept together to breed, usually in autumn
  • noun
  • /ˈtʌpɪŋ ˈsiːzən/
  • UK
translation icon : temporada de apareamiento
  • During tupping season, rams are introduced to the ewes to start the breeding process.

Examples

  • It is important to manage nutrition before and during the tupping season to ensure successful breeding.

  • The tupping season usually starts in late September.

  • The farmers prepared their flock carefully for the tupping season in late September.

  • Farmers prepare for the tupping season by checking their flocks.

  • During tupping season, rams are introduced to the ewes to start the breeding process.

  • The farmers prepared their flock carefully for the tupping season in late September.

  • It is important to manage nutrition before and during the tupping season to ensure successful breeding.

Synonyms

mating season
vstupping season
  • Specialized
5 3.2

A time of year when animals come together to mate and have babies

is limited to sheep and usually occurs in autumn
breeding season
vstupping season
4 3.3

A time of year when animals mate and have young

applies only to sheep and occurs typically in the autumn

Surface Forms

tupping season singular
tupping seasons plural

Morphology

tup + season

The meaning 'period during which sheep are bred' is directly compositional from 'tup' (to mate/impregnate ewes) plus 'season' (a period). Although 'tup' is specialized agricultural vocabulary, if a learner knows that verb they can easily infer this is the season for tupping/breeding, a pattern common across languages.

Etymology

Tupping season comes from sheep farming: a tup is an old word for a 'ram', and in autumn farmers put the tup with the female sheep so they can 'breed'. That's why tupping season means the time for 'breeding' sheep.