Unbreed

Origin

- + breed

Full definition of unbreed

Noun

1. The mutt, considered as a breed in its own right.
• 2005, Julia Szabo, The Underdog: A Celebration of Mutts, Workman Publishing (2005), ISBN 9780761133483:They are a generic, a noname animal, the unbreed, one of a kind, and in these days of mass-produced merchandise, of branding run rampant, the mutt's uniqueness is a priceless commodity.

Verb

1. To undo breeding or its effects.
• 1967, Child Development: Readings in Experimental Analysis (eds. Sidney W. Bijou & Donald M. Baer), Appleton-Century-Crofts (1967), page 111:We cannot unbreed the child and reconstitute his genes in a happier combination.
• 2005, Tara Brautigam, "Pit bull ban? Owners and officials facing off", The Spectator, 24 January 2005:"That's what they were bred for and you just can't unbreed that kind of stuff in an animal overnight," Ellis said.
2. To cause to become extinct through insufficient fertility.
• 2004, Ben J. Wattenberg, Fewer: How the New Demography of Depopulation Will Shape Our Future, Ivan R. Dee (2004), ISBN 9781566636063, page 16:(No, I don't think the human species will unbreed itself out of existence.)
3. (figurative) To unmake or destroy.
• 1991, Kenneth Craig, The Arab Christian: A History in the Middle East, Westminster/John Knox Press (1991), ISBN 9780664219451, page 208:In the 1970s it was different, and there was no feasible Shihāb to hold the ring and unbreed suspicion.