Purebred

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. A domesticated animal that is selectively bred from a specific lineage, ensuring consistent traits and characteristics in each generation
2. An animal from a defined breed that has been carefully bred to maintain its unique qualities and attributes across successive generations
3. A domesticated animal that belongs to a recognized breed, having been bred over time to preserve specific, desirable traits and characteristics throughout generations

Etymology: "Purebred" is about as transparent as English compounds get: "pure" joined to "bred," the past participle of "breed." The pairing describes an animal whose ancestry is unmixed within a single recognized stock, and the sense of "breed" it leans on is the older one of producing offspring through careful mating, not simply birth. Its meaning therefore depends on human selection rather than nature alone. The "pure" half carries the same idea it has in "pure gold" or "pure water," meaning unadulterated or free of other material, so a purebred animal is one whose line has not been crossed with another stock. The word works as both an adjective, describing a dog or horse, and a noun, naming such an animal.

Synonyms: pedigreed, thoroughbred, thorough, thoroughgoing, thoroughbred

Antonyms: mixed, crossbred, mongrel, hybrid, impure