Bred

How to spell bred

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce bred

What does bred mean?

1. verbPast tense and past participle of breed: raised or produced offspring, especially animals selected for particular qualities.

Bred in a sentence

• These spaniels were bred for their gentle temperament.

• The rancher bred cattle that could withstand harsh winters.

Where does bred come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'breed', which descends from the Old English verb brēdan, meaning 'to bring forth, nourish, or keep warm'. That verb was closely tied to the noun brōd, meaning 'brood' or 'offspring', and to the idea of hatching young by keeping them warm. Over time 'breed' broadened from the rearing of animals and birds to the deliberate raising of stock for desirable traits, and figuratively to anything produced or fostered. The past form was once spelt 'bredde' before settling into the modern 'bred', dropping the vowel of 'breed' just as 'feed' becomes 'fed' and 'lead' becomes 'led'. Its perfect homophone 'bread' (the baked food) comes from a different though related Germanic source, which is exactly why the two are so easily swapped in writing.

How the word is built

• bred (past tense and past participle of breed, from Old English brēdan)

Words that sound like bred

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• bread: A staple food made from flour and water, mixed into dough and baked.