Overbreed

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To engage in the process of producing offspring in excess can adversely affect the health of animals involved
2. To reproduce animals too frequently or in large numbers, often leading to negative effects on their well-being
3. The act of causing animals to produce more offspring than is sustainable or healthy

Etymology: "Overbreed" is a plain compound: the prefix "over-" meaning "too much" or "excessively," attached to "breed." The prefix comes from Old English "ofer," which carries the sense of going beyond a limit, and it has been used this way in English for centuries. Applied to "breed," it makes a word that describes producing offspring beyond what is wise or healthy. The base word has a longer and more interesting history. "Breed" descends from Old English "brēdan," which meant to nourish or cherish, and it is related to the Germanic word "brōd," meaning a brood or young. That link explains the original sense: to breed was first about bringing up and nurturing the young, and only later came to mean producing them by mating. The shift from raising offspring to producing animals in controlled ways is the step that makes "overbreed" possible as a term for excessive reproduction.

Synonyms: overpopulate, overproduce

Antonyms: underbreed