breeder

plural breeders

1. A person who breeds plants or animals (professionally).

   Breeders have figured out that if they can take one haploid set of chromosomes from a cross and copy it (or double it creating a double haploid), they will have a pure line almost instantly.

   2016, Jayson Lusk, Unnaturally Delicious, →ISBN, page 137

2. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of breeder reactor, a type of nuclear reactor that creates more fissile material than it consumes, often used for the production of atomic weapons.
3. cellular automataA pattern that exhibits quadratic growth by generating multiple copies of a secondary pattern, each of which then generates multiple copies of a tertiary pattern.

   A glider-emitting breeder pattern can probably also be constructed in this rule, which would out-radiate any chaotic pattern by a considerable margin.

   2008 May 31, Dave Greene, “Life: B37/S23 - A Chaotic Universe.”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet)

   2 more examples

   I was wondering if anyone out there could mail me a base for MIT's 'breeder' - the one with 8? puffer trains forming glider-guns. I've seen in in^([sic]) a few books but can't seem to get it working ...

   1992 June 17, Bill Sharp, comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet)

   I later implemented an improved version of the algorithms on an Atari STe, this time the goal was to run the breeder, which it did at 2 gen/sec at the stage when the first glider gun has been assembled.

   2002 July 23, Owen Rees, “Wolfram and "general 2D simulators"”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet)

4. derogatoryslangA person who has had or who is capable of having children; a person who is focused on the rearing of their own children.

   1 more example

   The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couples who are able to maintain their own children, although I apprehend there cannot be so many, under the present distresses of the kingdom; but this being granted, there will remain an hundred and seventy thousand breeders.

   1729, Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal

5. derogatoryhumorousLGBTQ slangA heterosexual person; one whose sexual intercourse can lead to breeding; straggot.

   Since the breeders started coming here, you can never tell who likes cock.

   5 more examples

   When visiting gay friends but wishing to avoid any heterosexual passersby or dinner guests of said friends, one can always call ahead and inquire, "Are there breeders in your home?"

   1979 August 18, Don Shewey, “Gay Spirit”, in Gay Community News, volume 7, number 5, page 4

   “Hey… what does a breeder know?” Michael grinned. “Where did you learn that word?” […]“One of the guys at Perry's,” replied Brian. “He said that's what the faggots call us.”

   1982, Armistead Maupin, Further Tales of the City, New York: Harper & Row, page 105

   What is this here natural/unnatural stuff, anyway? Seems like a rationalization to this breeder.

   1984 August 27, Steve Upstill, “The Kiss of Death”, in net.motss (Usenet)

   Hey, you try spending an evening with some back-slapping breeder from out of town, smoking cigars, and talking about pussy.

   2000, “Now Approaching... The Line”, in Queer as Folk, spoken by Brian Kinney (Gale Harold)

   My father spoke in a quiet, measured voice that gradually increased in tempo and in volume, “Travis, suppose everyone at this table were gay except you, and I called you a trailer-trash breeder?”

   2010, Walter Lape, Alaska Waters, The Hudson Press, →ISBN

6. A 40-gallon fish tank, sometimes used to breed fish that is low in height and wide in length, typically measuring 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 16 inches high, making it and shallower than a typical 40-gallon aquarium.